The Garden of Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo
Francesco Guardi
late 1770s
A
member
of
a
family
of
painters
in
Venice,
Francesco
Guardi
is
renowned
for
his
lively
views
of
the
most
recognizable
monuments
of
this
picturesque
city
and
for
his
engaging
architectural
fantasies,
or
capricci.
Wealthy
travelers
making
the
grand
tour
of
Europe—considered
an
essential
part
of
an
education
for
upper-class
men—provided
an
important
market
for
such
views.
In
this
case,
however,
the
patron
was
not
a
foreigner
passing
through
Venice,
but
John
Strange,
who
lived
in
the
city
on
the
lagoon
as
the
British
resident,
or
representative.This
view
of
the
garden
of
a
private
house
in
Venice
was
highly
unusual
for
Guardi.
On
the
right
is
the
rear
facade
of
the
Palazzo
Contarini
dal
Zaffo;
the
front
faces
the
Grand
Canal.
The
artist’s
main
subject
here
is
the
palace’s
formal
garden,
a
luxury
in
Venice’s
crowded
urban
environment.
Elegant
couples
stroll
through
the
garden’s
geometric
parterres.
Guardi’s
attention
to
the
play
of
light
further
animates
the
scene—a
shadow
cast
by
an
unseen
building
in
the
foreground
divides
the
composition
and
contrasts
with
the
bright
light
reflected
off
the
facade
of
the
residence
and
the
distant,
shimmering
lagoon
on
the
left.These
observations
of
light
and
place
probably
reflect
the
aesthetic
interests
of
Strange,
who
commissioned
the
painting
from
Guardi
as
one
of
a
set
of
four
remarkably
original
views.
Two
of
the
four
paintings
show
Strange’s
own
villa
on
the
mainland.
What
connection
Strange
may
have
had
to
the
Palazzo
Contarini
dal
Zaffo
is
unclear.
| Title | The Garden of Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo |
|---|---|
| Artist | Francesco Guardi |
| Date | late 1770s |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 48 × 78 cm (19 × 30 5/8 in.) |