The main difference in style between Fabris’ copies and the originals by Canaletto (1697-1768) is the general simplification of the composition and the hardening of light and silhouettes. There is a marked contrast with the original, but if we leave the model to one side, this is a high quality decorative work.

Other versions of this same composition with slight variations are known, for it was a very popular view and frequently repeated by the artist. It was normal practice for travellers on the Grand Tour, particularly British ones, visiting Italy in quest of the roots of classical culture, to bring such views home with them when they returned to their country. Therefore, the British provenance indicated by a label on the back should come as no surprise.

The painting, reproducing the view looking southwest from the Rialto bridge, is taken directly from a print by Visentini of a composition by Canaletto kept in the collection of the Queen of England in Windsor Castle. The print bears an inscription —“Ex ponte Rovoalti ad Orientem usque ad Aedes Foscarorum, cui respondet Ripa Vinaria”— which is obviously wrong given the southwest orientation of the view. The print in question was the first in a series published in 1735 under the title Prospectus Magni Canalis Venetiarum. In 1742, Visentini published a second edition with 24 more prints.