Italian school of the XVII - XVIII century.

Italian school of the XVII - XVIII century.
"Veduta. Chiesa dei Santi Geremia", Venice.
Pen and gouache on paper.
Measurements: 17.5 x 28 cm; 45 x 56 cm (frame).

View of Venice, with a canal and prominent buildings, including a bell tower, which can be recognized as belonging to the church of San Geremia. The bell tower and canal coincide with this iconic view of Venice at its entrance to the Cannaregio. The image captures the essence of Venice, with its canals, distinctive architecture and gondolas.

Vedute (from the Italian "veduta", meaning "view") were a pictorial genre that flourished mainly in the 18th century, although their origins date back to the late 17th century. They consisted of highly detailed and often large-scale paintings or engravings of cityscapes or panoramic views, especially popular in Venice.

This genre arose largely to satisfy the demand of British aristocrats and other travelers on the "Grand Tour" of Europe. These tourists wished to take home a visual souvenir of the cities they visited, and vedute served as a kind of giant "postcard" of the period. Artists known as vedutists strove to depict the views with great topographical accuracy, although they sometimes took artistic liberties, adding or removing elements to enhance the composition.