Getty Museum

Regatta on the Grand Canal in Honor of Frederick IV, King of Denmark

Creator

Italian Artist · 1663–1730

Despite an apparent lack of any formal training, Luca Carlevarijs excelled as a Venetian view painter. Scholars considered him the first artist to have consciously emphasized the importance and grandeur of Venice by depicting it as a center of international activity. Carlevarijs began his career in 1703 with the monumental publication of *The Buildings and Views of Venice Designed in Perspective a

More on Getty ULAN

Date: 1711
Medium: Oil on canvas
Culture: Italian
Department: Paintings
Institution: Getty Museum

A variety of brightly colored boats line the Grand Canal to participate in a regatta or boat race held in honor of the visiting King of Denmark, Frederick IV. In the middle boat, liverymen in red and gold uniforms row the king, dressed in red, toward his waiting hosts at the Palazzo Foscari, seen on the left. They will pass a huge green parade float, decorated with royal, Venetian, and aquatic symbols, that marks the end of the race. At the foot of the float are four different colored flags; whoever grabs the red flag first is the winning boatman. The view towards the Rialto bridge, seen in the far distance, shows in great detail the facades of buildings alongside the canal, with spectators filling the balconies. Luca Carlevarijs painted many vedute, views of Venice that were popular souvenirs with diplomatic visitors and wealthy foreigners making the Grand Tour of Italy in the 1700s.

View at Getty Museum ↗

The authoritative record is held by Getty Museum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.

Get printable QR codes

Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.

Open this page

See at Getty Museum

Related across collections

Semantically similar works from Getty Museum and other institutions.