Woman drawing water from a well beneath an arcade at left, with a landscape at right
Original title: Woman drawing water from a well beneath an arcade at left, with a landscape at right
kurzbeschreibung
Canaletto's etching from 1717 to 1768 presents a woman drawing water from a well beneath an arcade. The plate measures 13.5 × 21 cm and belongs among the prints by the Venetian Giovanni Antonio Canal.
Description
Beneath a roofed well-house spanned by an arch, a woman is fetching water. To the left, several figures gather around the structure. On the right, a landscape with trees, fields, and buildings opens up. A cloud-filled sky occupies the upper half of the image, rendered with fine, shifting strokes.
Context
Canaletto, best known for his Venetian vedute, also left a series of etchings with rural and idealized subjects. This sheet falls within his entire career, marked by travels and commissions from English collectors. It reveals the influence of eighteenth-century Venetian printmaking and Canaletto's engagement with effects of light and shadow.
Impact
A calm, idyllic mood emanates from the monochrome print, heightened by the delicate linework. Everyday scene and expansive landscape balance each other, uniting genre and veduta into a harmonious whole.
Technique
The plate was etched with acid, which bites the lines into the metal. The thickness and direction of the strokes vary, modelling depth and texture—a process characteristic of Canaletto's printmaking.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)