Imaginary View with a Tomb by the Lagoon
The Met
Artist: Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal)(Italian, Venice 1697–1768 Venice)
Date: early 1740s
Department: European Paintings
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 11 7/8 × 15 1/2 in. (30.2 × 39.4 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust, 2018
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
Ruined temple, broken bridge, river with boats and figures, all under a cloudy sky
Detailed Description
The painting depicts a landscape featuring ancient ruins by a body of water under a cloudy sky. The sky transitions from dark blue at the top left to a warm orange-pink hue towards the right, with swirling clouds. In the center, a large, ornate ruined temple stands on a raised stone platform. It features a decorative roof supported by columns, with a sarcophagus-like structure visible beneath the canopy, adorned with carved reliefs. Vines and foliage grow over parts of the temple. To the right of the temple, more crumbling stone structures and a dark wall rise, topped by distant, pointed spires, possibly of a city or church. On the left side, a dilapidated wooden bridge extends from the bank over a narrow channel of water, leading towards the central ruins. A small, thatched-roof hut sits near the bridge. Further left, a partially submerged white boat with a tall mast leans at an angle. Several small figures are scattered on the grassy bank, some seated, others standing. A dark river or canal flows from the mid-ground towards the viewer, with a small rowboat carrying two figures in the lower center. The banks are rocky and uneven, with sparse dark green and brown vegetation. The overall color palette is muted, dominated by dark blues, greens, browns, and grays, with the sky providing the main source of warmer tones.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
