The Grand Canal, Venice, with San Geremia, Palazzo Labia, and the entrance to the Cannareggio

This canvas takes inspiration from Canaletto's celebrated view of San Geremia and the Entrance to the Cannaregio, in the Royal Collection (inv. RCIN 400532). That picture is part of a series of twelve views of the Grand Canal, all of which were formerly in the collection of the British Consul to Venice, Joseph Smith (c. 1682-1770), Canaletto’s most significant patron, before their acquisition by King George III in 1762. The twelve views form the basis of the fourteen engraved plates in Visentini's 'Prospectus Magni Canalis Venetiarum' (Venice, 1735). This view shows the entrance of the Grand Canal, with the church and campanile of San Geremia at left and, opposite, the Palazzo Querini detti Papozze, and the façade of the Palazzo Emo. At centre, the Ponte delle Guglie spans the cabal, with the buildings of the former Jewish Ghetto just visible beyond.