The Rialto Bridge from the South

The Rialto was the commercial heart of Venice, the place of markets, banks and warehouses, and its single stone bridge, built between 1588 and 1591 to replace a wooden one, was the most famous crossing in the city. Canaletto painted this view between 1735 and 1740, and it was one of the compositions he repeated most often. Notice, though, that the bridge is not the hero. He pushes it back and off centre to leave room for a long sweep of the Grand Canal. On the right stands Palazzo Dolfin Manin, and on the left the Riva del Vin, the quay where wine was unloaded, is crowded with boats, every one of them drawn with the same sharp precision as the palaces.