According to Ronald G. Pisano, this painting was executed during Chase's last journey to Europe in the summer of 1913. Chase left New York early in May with a travelling group, limited to thirty students, that the artist described as "an ideal summer vacation for art lovers." The group travelled through Madeira, Gibraltar, and Genoa before arriving in Venice. They spent seven weeks in the city of Venice, about which Chase remarked "there is always something to paint here." However, since the majority of the artist's time was spent teaching and visiting with friends, Chase only managed a small number of oil sketches of views of the city. This example, possibly painted from the artist's balcony, was later inscribed to Madame Dubout when the group stopped briefly in Paris on the way back to the United States.

This painting will be included in Ronald G. Pisano's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the Chase's work.