The Giudecca, Venice

1854 · Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

landscape

David Roberts was a great traveler, constantly seeking new material and interesting subjects for the sunlit townscape views that were so popular with collectors and the public. He often went to France and Belgium, spent a year travelling round Spain and a year in the Near East, but only visited Italy twice - once to Venice and once to Rome. His Venice visit was in October 1851, travelling via Switzerland during late September and returning through Vienna.

Loading map…

About the Artist

David Roberts

1796 – 1864

Scottish painter. He was apprenticed to a house painter, then worked as a scene painter for a travelling circus and Glasgow and Edinburgh theatres, in 1822 he settled in London and worked at the Drury Lane Theatre with his friend Clarkson Stanfield. From 1831 he travelled widely in Europe and the Mediterranean basin and made a fortune with his topographical views. He worked in oil and watercolour and published lavishly illustrated books, among them the six-volume The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt Nubia (1842-49). His work can be monotonous when seen en masse, but at his best he combines bold design with precise observation.

View all works →