Canaletto – Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery 1978P174. Warwick Castle, East Front from the Courtyard (1752)
Materials: oil on canvas. Dimensions: 75 x 122 cm. Nr.: 1978P174. Source: ichef.bbci.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/images/paintings/bmag…. P.S. I have changed the light and contrast of the original photo.
Canaletto – Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery 1978p173. Warwick Castle, East Front from the Outer Court (1752)
Materials: oil on canvas. Dimensions: 73 x 120 cm. Acquisition date: 1978. Nr.: accession number: 1978p173. Source: http://www.cab.u-szeged.hu/cgfa/canaletto/canaletto14.jpg
Canaletto arrived in England at the end of May 1746 and soon afterwards must have been introduced to the young Francis Greville, Lord Brooke (later Earl of Warwick). A series of four payments in Lord Brooke’s account from 1748-52 indicates that Canaletto made at least two visits to Warwick. The view is over the lawn within the court of Warwick Castle and encompasses left to right, Guy’s Tower, the Clock Tower and an entrance gate, Caesar’s Tower. Through the gate, the spire of the church of St Nicholas can be seen. In this, Canaletto has made some pictorial adjustments in that the spire cannot actually be seen from this point. The two newly planted fir trees to the right of the gate are probably early evidence of ‘Capability’ Brown’s landscaping for the courtyard (http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/large.php?uid=91613).
