Canaletto’s Stonemason’s Yard: The Making of a Venetian Master | National Gallery

'The Stonemason’s Yard' by Canaletto is considered the artist’s early masterpiece. It’s the picture that marks the beginning of Canaletto becoming Canaletto. Though, we don’t know who for, or exactly when, it was painted.

Dr Francesca Whitlum-Cooper argues that this painting is like going to an early Beatles concert in the 1960s. The ordinary scene shows contemporary life with blocks of stone, tools, plants, and workers. The four female figures in the foreground go about domestic activities.

Unlike the grand views that he is so famous for, and which became an essential souvenir for wealthy aristocrats to bring home from their Grand Tour, this brilliant painting presents us with a secret side of Venice.

Canaletto's 'The Stonemason’s Yard' is on loan to National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth in 2024.

To celebrate our Bicentenary, 12 paintings from the collection are being lent to 12 venues across the UK. See various locations and visit: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/ex...

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