A richly ornamented state barge, the bucentaur, glides across the turquoise waters of the San Marco basin, its golden prow and crimson canopy catching the sunlight at the center right of the composition. To the left, the monumental Doge's Palace rises in pale pink and cream, its lacy Gothic façade sharply rendered against the clear blue sky, with the arched loggias and quatrefoil windows casting crisp shadows. A dense gathering of people lines the waterfront at the molo, their forms picked out in bright colors and animated gestures as they watch the festivities from behind a row of moored gondolas and smaller craft.

The Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana appears at the far left, its classical façade rendered with precise linear perspective, and the entire scene is bathed in a luminous, even light that heightens the clarity of every architectural detail. The brushwork is fine and controlled, with delicate lines used to describe the intricate ornament of the bucentaur and the tracery of the palace, while the water is painted in smooth, horizontal strokes that suggest gentle movement. Touches of white highlight the foam at the oars and the edges of the boats, adding sparkle to the surface and emphasizing the festive atmosphere.

The composition is carefully balanced, with the main barge occupying the right half and the vertical forms of the campanile and columns offsetting the horizontal sweep of the quay and palace. The Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day is painted by Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, in 1745. The Philadelphia Museum of Art lists this work in The William L. Elkins Collection, acquired in 1924.