Venice, Punta della Dogana

In this small veduta, or view painting, Guardi depicts the Punta della Dogana, a small spit of land adjoining the church of Santa Maria della Salute at the entrance to the Grand Canal. This promontory is dominated by the Dogana del Mar, Venice’s customhouse, built in 1677. Its distinctive tower, topped by an elaborate gold weather vane representing the personification of fame, was a favorite motif of 18th-century view painters catering to the tourist market. Compared to the precise style of his contemporary Canaletto, whose two views of Venice hang nearby, Guardi’s works display a more painterly manner, with quick, deft brushwork and deep, saturated colors.