View of the Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore on the Grand Canal, Venice

This painting is an excellent example of Guardi's mature work on an intimate scale. It combines both the topographical precision, mastered in his early works under the influence of Canaletto, and his increasingly expressive use of brushwork and atmospheric light effects. Palazzo Loredan belonged to the noble Loredan family and Guardi depicted the building as a functioning embassy with the imperial arms hung over the door to the landing stage. The figure standing in the main doorway is probably the Ambassador himself, who may have commissioned the painting. This is the first Venetian scene by Guardi to enter the Cardiff collection and the painting will be shown in the context of Canaletto, Batoni, Panini and Tiepolo and the important Welsh artists and collectors who followed them. The painting compliments many other depictions of Venice in the collection by artists such as Monet, Sickert and Whistler.