Follower of Francesco Guardi
Italian, 1712–1793
The Customs House, Venice
c. 1780
During the eighteenth century, affluent tourists commissioned portable, detailed paintings of Venetian landmarks to commemorate their visit to the “City of Water.” This one presents a view of the Customs House at the entrance to Venice’s Grand Canal. A weather vane, in the form of Fortuna, the goddess of fortune, stands atop the building and welcomes the trade boats that bring in much of the city’s wealth.
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 11 5/8 x 15 7/8 in. (29.5 x 40.3 cm) |
| Object Number | 1955.753 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
| Status | Off View |
Image Caption
Follower of Francesco Guardi, The Customs House, Venice, c. 1780, oil on canvas. Clark Art Institute, 1955.753
Select Bibliography
New York: Architectural League of New York. Architecture Portrayed by Artists.. 1938.. 1938.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Exhibit Four & Exhibit Seven. Exhibition catalogue. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1958.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Exhibit Four & Exhibit Seven, Supplement: West Gallery. Exhibition catalogue. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1959.
Fernandez, Rafael. A Scene of Light and Glory: Approaches to Venice. Exhibition catalogue. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1982.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1970.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1972.
Morassi, Antonio. Guardi, Antonio e Francesco Guardi. Venice: Alfieri. 1973.
Luigina Rossi.. L'opera completa di Francesco Guardi. (Classici dell'Arte no. 71).. Milan: Rizzoli.. 1974.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1984.
Kern, Steven, ed. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1992.
Frederickson, Burton B. and Federico Zeri. Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1972.
