Canaletto at Goodwood

The Goodwood Collection houses a number of oil paintings by the Venetian artist, Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto.

Whilst several depict scenes of Venice typically associated with the artist, more unusually two of the works portray different views of London from the first floor of Richmond House, the north facing London residence of the Dukes of Richmond in the 18th century. The house had been built by the 2nd Duke of Richmond in the 1730s to designs by Lord Burlington, with interiors done by William Kent. It boasted the Richmond House theatre, and in the later 18^th century, a sculpture gallery for budding artists.

Relatively little is known about what the interiors of Richmond House looked like, but Canaletto allows us a glimpse of what the family looked out onto in 1747 when they gazed through the first-floor windows. To one side was Whitehall and the Privy Gardens, and in his picture, Whitehall and the Privy Garden from Richmond House, Canaletto captures in minute detail the buildings that survived the terrible fire of Whitehall Palace of 1698. The end of Inigo Jones’s Banqueting House can be seen, with its classical façade just discernible through the inclusion of the columns. This was where the 2^nd Duke of Richmond’s great-grandfather, Charles I had been executed in 1649. Also peeking out in this painting is the Holbein Gate, which was built by King Henry VIII, and was the site of his secret marriage to Anne Boleyn in 1533. Whilst the Banqueting House can still be visited, the Holbein Gate was demolished just over ten years after this was painted. The picture also captures the Privy Gardens, and in doing so excellently demonstrates the culture of the eighteenth-century English elite. Expensive to enter, the garden was used as a way to be seen in society, parade in front of suitors and was a hive of gossip. The delicate figures with their exuberant clothing highlights not only the style of Canaletto’s works but also contemporary views of fashion.

The second view Canaletto presents the viewer with is one of the Thames. The Thames and the City of London from Richmond House artfully depicts the buzzing atmosphere of the river from the window bay of the first-floor dining room, as well as the waterfront terrace of Richmond House and the sweeping London cityscape of the eighteenth century. Dominating the skyline is St Paul’s Cathedral, as well as all of Sir Christopher Wren’s 51 church spires. The inclusion of all of these reveal that Canaletto was not necessarily painting exactly what he saw, but rather an idealised view. Canaletto famously sketched from different perspectives and angles, and made up his composition by putting these sketches together to achieve the best possible picture. Also discernible is Old Somerset House, before it was altered by Sir William Chambers, with its trees running down to the river, as well as Montagu House next to the Richmond House terrace. The corner of the green Chinese pavilion that can be spotted next to the house can be still seen at Boughton House today. The manipulation of light to create a northern glimmer in the sky displays the impressive contemporary skills of Canaletto. Canaletto’s focus on the Thames and the barges of the livery companies excellently demonstrates the importance of the river to 18^th century life; the river was the main form of transport, and was important for business and commerce.

The two works were commissioned by the 2^nd Duke of Richmond in 1747, and the commissions launched Canaletto’s career in England. Up until this point Canaletto had been working in Venice, selling Venetian scenes to English aristocratic young gentlemen who visited Venice as part of the Grand Tour. The 2^nd Duke acquired four Venetian scenes on copper from Canaletto when the artist was still in Venice through his contact Owen McSwiny. However, in the 1740s Canaletto’s work in Venice began to dry up due to the Wars of the Austrian Succession Crisis. Canaletto made the move to England in order to further his career prospects, and in 1746 he arrived with a letter of introduction from Joseph Smith, a self-created art dealer, to McSwiny, his ultimate target being the patronage of The Duke of Richmond. Despite being drunk at a dinner hosted by the 2^nd Duke of Montagu, McSwiny gave Canaletto’s recommendation to another guest, Tom Hill, a friend, and former tutor of the 2^nd Duke, who thought it best that Canaletto be commissioned to paint a river scene from Richmond House which was accepted by The Duke. It may be that initially one larger scene that took in both the Privy Gardens and the Thames was planned, as this exists in sketch from by Canaletto in the Goodwood Collection.

The paintings today hang at Goodwood House above the fireplaces in the Long Hall, the oldest part of the house. It is thought they were painted specifically for these spots, as the canvases are unusually square for Canaletto and fit perfectly the square spaces above the classical chimneypieces. Sitting beside the fireplaces, the 2^nd Duke could look out through the windows opposite and see the rolling Sussex landscape, and if he missed the activity and excitement of the capital, he could cast his eye up to the Canalettos and be absorbed in the commercial and social buzz of city life.

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The two paintings can be viewed by Guided Tour on our Open Days

Article by Elen Walker