A drawing of the church of San Giovanni Battista dei Battuti on the island of Murano. On the horizon on the left hand side of the composition some of the landmarks of Venice - including the Campanile - can be seen.

The view is from the south-east of Murano, an island a kilometre to the north of Venice, looking south-west towards the city from the Fondamenta Navagero (or di San Giacomo), whose motoscafo jetty now occupies the foreground of this view. The arcaded building to the left still stands; the church of San Giovanni Battista dei Battuti (‘of the metalbeaters’), on the far shore of the Grand Canal of Murano, was demolished in 1833, and replaced by the glass factories and lighthouse that occupy the site today. Along the horizon is Venice, the tower of San Francesco della Vigna prominent to the left, and the Campanile of San Marco and the dome of Santi Giovanni e Paolo at the centre of the sheet.

Canaletto based the drawing on a sketch that, as here, seems to show the façade of the church somewhat awkwardly, as if turned to the front. Also derived from that sketch is a smaller drawing in Rotterdam, finished with the addition of wash. A corresponding painting - surprisingly, Canaletto’s only painting from a viewpoint on Murano - is in the Hermitage, differing as usual in the figures and boats. The sketch was sold at Christie's, London on 2 July 1996, lot 162.

Catalogue entry adapted from Canaletto in Venice, London, 2005