No church like the one at the heart of Capriccio of a round Church with an elaborate Gothic Portico in a Piazza, a Palladian Palazzo and a Gothic Church beyond ever stood in Venice or anywhere else. In 1753, Canaletto—famed for his meticulous views of real Venetian landmarks—turned instead to the world of fantasy, assembling architectural marvels from different centuries and styles into a single, impossible piazza. This capriccio, or architectural fantasy, was a genre that allowed artists to invent new cityscapes by blending reality with imagination, delighting collectors who craved both the familiar and the exotic. Here, the eye is drawn first to the grand round church, its entrance crowned by a lacework Gothic portico that seems to float above the square.

To the left, a Palladian palace anchors the scene with classical restraint, while in the distance, another Gothic church rises, its spires echoing the fanciful entrance in the foreground. Figures in 18th-century dress stroll and converse, bringing life to this invented city, their scale enhancing the monumental architecture around them. Unlike Piranesi, whose capricci often verge on the ruinous and melancholic, Canaletto fills his piazza with light and order, suggesting a harmonious coexistence of past and present. The exact patron for this painting is not recorded, but such capricci were especially popular with British Grand Tourists seeking souvenirs of Italy that went beyond the merely documentary.

After years spent in England, Canaletto returned to Venice in the early 1750s and produced several works in this imaginative vein, a departure from his earlier, more literal vedute. The painting’s subsequent history is less clear, as many capricci changed hands privately and were sometimes misattributed or paired with companion pieces. Today, Capriccio of a round Church with an elaborate Gothic Portico in a Piazza, a Palladian Palazzo and a Gothic Church beyond stands as a testament to Canaletto’s inventive spirit and the 18th-century fascination with architectural fantasy.