This is one of Palladio's most famous buildings and his first commission for a complete church. The Benedictine monastery on the island of San Giorgio was one of the oldest religious foundations in Venice and its location made it an important landmark for the city. Work began on the new church of San Giorgio Maggiore in 1566 but the façade, designed to be legible when viewed from the city, was not completed until 1610 and may have deviated from Palladio's original plan. The part in front of the nave resembles a great temple portico, with four engaged columns that relate dynamically to the less pronounced pilasters framing the lower side-aisle sections and resting at ground level.

Canaletto has given the church the monumentality of a Roman ruin by toning down its white Istrian marble façade to more mellow tones of grey and ochre. His depiction of details is accurate, even down to the gated walls decorated with finials on either side of the building. Some of the statues on the pediments have been given more lively poses. The capriccio elements are in the background on the left: the Salute dome, other bell towers and the colossal statue on the pillar of the wall. Similar statues appear in the Caprice View with the Church of the Redentore (private collection), the Colleoni Monument in a Capriccio Setting (RCIN 404415) and in several etchings.

The artist was not overly concerned to conceal pentiments. His initial idea for the lantern on top of the dome was much smaller and is clearly visible, as is the incised line of the first, flatter, dome, which he then heightened. The figures populating the scene were added last, the lines of stonework visible through them. They are pleasingly balanced in small groups, many admiring the church as if it were an ancient and noble Roman temple; a single Benedictine monk turns away from the scene to gaze back at the viewer.

This painting is one of a series of thirteen overdoors by Canaletto, all with the same provenance. Of the thirteen pictures, nine survive in the Royal Collection.

Signed on the quay extreme right ACANALF.

Text adapted from Canaletto & the Art of Venice, 2017.