Scala dei Giganti
Canaletto·1765
Historical Context
This late 1765 view of the Scala dei Giganti, one of Canaletto's final works, depicts the monumental staircase in the Doge's Palace courtyard. The staircase, flanked by Sansovino's colossal statues of Mars and Neptune, was the ceremonial location for the coronation of every new Doge. Canaletto's technique involved preparatory drawings — sometimes camera obscura-assisted — transferred to canvas and built up through precise architectural underpaint, followed by atmospheric sky painting and fina...
Technical Analysis
The interior courtyard setting marks an unusual subject for Canaletto's late career. The monumental staircase is rendered from a low vantage point that emphasizes the towering statues and ascending perspective.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the monumental staircase rendered from a low vantage point that emphasizes the towering Sansovino statues of Mars and Neptune — this is among Canaletto's very last works from 1765.
- ◆Look at the interior courtyard setting marking an unusual late-career subject, with the ceremonial staircase where every Doge was crowned filling the composition.
- ◆Observe the colossal statues flanking the stairway symbolizing Venice's dominion over land and sea in the final years of both Canaletto and the Republic.
_-_Capriccio%2C_Ruined_Bridge_with_Figures_-_1352-1869_-_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum.jpg&width=400)
_-_A_Lock%2C_a_Column%2C_and_a_Church_beside_a_Lagoon_-_2019.141.6_-_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg&width=600)
_-_Blick_auf_den_Canal_Grande_nach_S%C3%BCdwesten%2C_von_der_Rialto_Br%C3%BCcke_bis_zum_Palazzo_Foscari_-_1984_-_Staatliche_Kunsthalle_Karlsruhe.jpg&width=600)
