The Piazzetta and the Library

The Piazzetta and the Library at the Ashmolean, painted around 1720, captures Venice's ceremonial entrance with the Biblioteca Marciana. Carlevarijs was the first Venetian artist to systematically paint topographical views of the city for foreign collectors. Carlevarijs documented Venice in oil on canvas with architectural precision drawn partly from his own engravings, staffing his panoramic views with animated crowds of merchants, tourists, and gondoliers rendered in small, fluid strokes.

The architectural rendering shows Carlevarijs' careful attention to Venetian landmarks, though with a somewhat drier handling than his successor Canaletto would employ.