A drawing of a view of the Molo in Venice, looking east. On the left is the column of San Marco and Palazzo Ducale. In the centre are Palazzo delle Prigioni and Palazzo Dandolo. In the foreground are are various boats, including the prow of the Doge's fusta.

The view is taken from just off the Molo, probably from a landing stage, though the numerous infelicities suggest that Canaletto constructed the view in the studio. To the left, the column of the lion is increased in size such that it appears to tower over the Palazzo Ducale, whose south windows have all been drawn on the same level (the two to the right should be lower). A hut stands before the far corner of the Palazzo, obscuring the steps of the Ponte della Paglia. Beyond are the Prigioni and Palazzo Dandolo, followed by an undifferentiated jumble of buildings and boats. In the right foreground is the prow of the Doge’s fusta. On the skyline are a dome and belltower, of either San Giorgio dei Greci or San Pietro di Castello, though neither is visible from this position.

A drawing at Darmstadt (AE 2247), dated March 1729, shows the same view and is drawn in the same style as the present drawing. It is hard to establish precedence, though the uncertain spatial relationship of the Ponte della Paglia to the Palazzo Ducale in the Darmstadt drawing may suggest that this is a slightly later refinement. The Windsor and Darmstadt sheets are the only two known drawings of this view, but Canaletto painted variants of the scene repeatedly. While none corresponds exactly, there are many similarities to a painting at Tatton Park, one of a pair that we know from letters to have been worked on during 1730. Its companion corresponds generally with the following drawing, and it is likely that these two drawings were the immediate models for that pair of paintings.

Catalogue entry adapted from Canaletto in Venice, London, 2005