San Cristoforo, San Michele & Murano

Canaletto captured this view of the Venetian lagoon looking toward the islands of San Cristoforo, San Michele (Venice's cemetery island), and Murano beyond. Boats glide across calm waters under a vast sky that occupies much of the canvas. The artist's crystalline light and precise architectural detail made him the foremost vedutista of 18th-century Venice.

Such vedute (view paintings) were prized by Grand Tour travelers as souvenirs of Venice. Canaletto used a camera obscura to achieve his notable precision. This painting hangs at the Dallas Museum of Art, bringing Venetian splendor to Texas.