The view is from close to the Ponte della Paglia along the quay to the Granaries. The subject of the capriccio is the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) on the right, which was both the official residence of the Doge and the seat of government. Its fourteenth-century façade uniquely reflects East and West, combining Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance elements.

A short arcade with broad columns supports a delicate loggia, while above is the famous diaper pattern of white Istrian stone and rose-coloured Verona marble. Beyond are the two columns of San Marco and San Teodoro, the Libreria, the Zecca and the Granaries. Built in 1310 to house the city's emergency grain supplies, the Granaries were demolished by Napoleon to lay out the adjacent Giardinetto Reale. Ousted by the four horses of San Marco, as noted in the 'Italian List', the three flagstaffs normally in front of San Marco have been placed here instead. The three large bronze bases designed to carry Venetian standards in front of San Marco are decorated with reliefs of marine processions, reminiscent of masked Venetian festival parades.

Canaletto seems to have combined a view that receded in steep perspective from the Palazzo Ducale on the right to the Salute in two other paintings and the more full frontal view from the Bacino towards the Palazzo Ducale, including the Prisons on the right, as in RCIN 400517. The result is a pleasing alignment of the façades of the famous buildings on the Molo, the three great flagstaffs and the masts of the ships, creating a dramatic recession in space.

This painting is one of a series of thirteen overdoors by Canaletto, all with the same provenance. Of the thirteen pictures, nine survive in the Royal Collection.

Text adapted from Canaletto & the Art of Venice, London, 2017.