Lot Essay
This view painting, formerly attributed to William James, is based on a composition by Canaletto in Sir John Soane's Museum, London (see W. G. Constable, Canaletto, Oxford, 1976, II, pg. 246, no. 122, and I, plate 30). The original by Canaletto is larger than the present painting, measuring 48 x 79 inches, and dates to c. 1730. The present painting can be dated to the second half of the 18th century.