The History of Venice in Painting spans seven centuries of art and Venetian history, from the reign of the first Doges until the 20th century. Its exhilarating scope is only possible through the sheer scale of this luxuriously oversized book. Measuring 17" x 11½", it contains 350 colour illustrations, including plentiful double-page spreads and 4 four-page foldouts that offer an extraordinary way to view these masterpieces.

Inside are gathered the finest artistic treasures of Venice, reproduced sumptuously, showing details that would be impossible to appreciate in a crowded museum. These range from Titian’s magnificent religious works to the heavenly ceilings of Tiepolo, and Pietro Longhi’s witty and seductive pictures of high and low Venetian society.

Home of genius and a work of art in itself
As a city Venice is a work of art in itself. This book contains an unrivalled number of images of the city, from the serene mirror-like paintings of Canaletto to the stormy seascapes of Turner, and the intoxicating blue-and-pink stippled canals and palazzos of Monet. These paintings are gathered from the world’s greatest art museums, from Venice to Washington and from London to Los Angeles, as well as private collections. No other book could give us a better visual understanding of this most breathtaking of places.

Discover the true story of an extraordinary city
In a series of brilliant essays by historians including Georges Duby of the Académie Française and Geneviève Nevejan of the Louvre, the fascinating history of Venice is carefully and succinctly explained.

Venice began in isolation, a fledgling island colony formed by the Venetii tribe, who fled the barbarian hordes on the mainland. As co-editor Guy Lobrichon puts it, ‘Many centuries came and went before Europe’s kings and emperors alike realised that Venice had emerged Venus-like from the waves.’ But emerge it did, as the only republic of its time in Europe and the great crossroad between Europe and the East, with a military might to match its trading power.

The dream of Venice, from Titian to Turner
In the 16th century, as trading routes opened to the New World, Venice lost its prominence. But as its power ebbed, a school of painting arose to rival Florence and Rome, and artists such as Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto captured the magnificence of La Serenissima, the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Dismissed by the highly partial Florentine biographer Vasari, Venetian painting is now recognised as one of the glories of the Renaissance.

Over the following two centuries Venice fell into a long and luxurious decline. The city became a byword for elegance and dissipated pleasure and an eagerly awaited stop on the Grand Tours of 18th-century gentlemen. Canaletto’s limpid canal scenes date from this period, when visitors clamoured for accurate souvenirs. In later years, the dream of Venice was as seductive as ever, as Turner, Sargent and the Impressionists were irresistibly drawn to paint the essence of the city’s watery charm.

It is hard to envisage a more generous, lavish or comprehensive illustrated history of Venice, or a finer selection of art. Here are the glories of the Renaissance: the seductive Venus of Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love and the classical harmony of Veronese’s Marriage at Cana. Here are Canaletto’s most beautiful canal scenes, depicting squares, bridges and churches, unchanged today. Here are ladies’ parlours, coffee-houses, ball chambers, nunneries, and the masterpieces of Turner, with their vast changing skies and misty lagoons.

These images are taken from altarpieces, frescoes, paintings and panels scattered around the world. United here, they show the history of Venice unfolding over seven centuries. Together these spectacular images, lucid writing and impeccable production values make this one of the finest publications to date from acclaimed fine art publishers Abbeville Press.