Bernardo Bellotto

Venetian, 1722 - 1780

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Afternoon sunlight pours over a town crowded along the banks of a serene, glass-green river that runs through the middle of this horizontal painting. Several buildings cluster to our left on the riverbank close to us. A gateway there opens onto a bridge or walkway that extends back and behind the buildings. Tiny in scale, people stand, sit, or ride singly or in small groups on the dirt road that spans the lower edge of the composition. One man sits on a bench in a fenced-in, grassy enclosure at the lower right, and another man there wears monk’s robes and holds a basket. The land must dip down steeply between the dirt road and riverbank, for a few rooftops nestled in there have chimneys at road level. Houses, churches, and grand structures line the far riverbank and fill in the town beyond. Many of the buildings are white or tan with dark red roofs, though others are brown or gray. Trees and an open green space are tucked among the structures. A pale blue sky with wispy, petal-pink and light tan clouds fills the top half of the composition.
Bernardo Bellotto, Italian 18th Century, View of Munich, c. 1761, oil on canvas, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.9.64

View of Munich

Bernardo Bellotto, Italian 18th Century · c. 1761 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1961.9.64

In the distance, a fortress sits on a rocky plateau below a sky filled with lightly rolling white and gray clouds in this horizontal landscape painting. The horizon line is low, about a quarter of the way up the composition, so the plateau and fortress loom high above the surrounding land. The fortress is made up two distinct sections, with a nearly windowless stronghold or massive city wall to the right and what looks like a row of six interconnected white rowhouses to the left. More rooflines peek over the stronghold. Tiny in scale, people work on scaffolding erected against a grassy cliff below the white section. Five men and women and a child and a few cows gather in the foreground, closer to us. People walk through the landscape in the background and along roads leading to the fortress. A hilly landscape recedes deep into the distance to our left below pale peach and lilac-purple clouds.
Bernardo Bellotto, The Fortress of Königstein, 1756-1758, oil on canvas, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 1993.8.1

The Fortress of Königstein

Bernardo Bellotto · 1756-1758 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1993.8.1

People walk, sit, or stand on a plaza along a canal lined on the far side with buildings in this horizontal landscape painting. The canal begins in the lower left corner and angles slightly right as it travels to the horizon, which comes about a third of the way up this composition. One, two, three, or four-story buildings line the canal to the left into the far distance. Arched doorways give direct access to the water, and one person leans out an upper-story window. The buildings are reflected in the gently rippling water, which is painted in shades of olive green. A stepped bridge crosses the canal in the near distance, and two gondoliers guide a long, narrow boat to a platform alongside the plaza in the bottom left corner of the composition. People walk or stand singly or in pairs on the plaza in the bottom right quadrant of the painting. The women wear dresses with long skirts and head coverings in shades of black, white, yellow, or pale pink. The men wear hats, jackets, capes, stockings, and slacks in shades of peanut brown, muted yellow, red, blue, or white. The people all appear to have pale, peachy skin. A statue of a man riding a horse rests on a towering platform in a grassy patch to our right. Beyond it is the blocky form of a red brick church. One man in a pair standing on the plaza gestures toward the entrance with a walking stick and others approach the central entrance. Sunlight streams across the scene from the upper right, throwing the church façade into shadow and casting a deep shadow across the face of another building that encloses the far side of the plaza. That second building has arched windows and doors, statues lining the roofline, and a winged lion over the entrance. A fat cloud trundles across a mostly empty vibrant blue sky above.
Bernardo Bellotto, The Campo di SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, 1743/1747, oil on canvas, Widener Collection, 1942.9.7

The Campo di SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice

Bernardo Bellotto · 1743/1747 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1942.9.7

This painting is of a garden landscape in front of a large palace, seen from an elevated perspective. At the bottom of the painting is a large body of water with several fountains shooting up and large boats filled with people rowing across the surface. On either side of the pond are wide gray roads with people and horse-drawn carriages walking across them. Behind the body of water is a garden with large golden statues scattered around, and a large golden fountain in the center. On either side of the garden are rows of green trees and manicured hedges. The garden leads up to the palace, which stretches horizontally across almost the entire image. The palace is white with some light green columns, and the roof is a reddish-brown color. Above the palace, the pastel blue sky is covered with white and gray clouds.
Bernardo Bellotto, Italian 18th Century, Nymphenburg Palace, Munich, c. 1761, oil on canvas, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.9.63

Nymphenburg Palace, Munich

Bernardo Bellotto, Italian 18th Century · c. 1761 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1961.9.63

This image is an architectural perspective drawing of a grand classical terrace. It depicts a balustrade leading towards an ornate bridge with multiple arches, shields, and statues. In the background are detailed buildings, a tower, and mountainous forms along the horizon. The drawing uses fine lines in a pen and ink technique with a monochromatic palette. The scene conveys regal architecture, openness, and grandeur.
Bernardo Bellotto, A Capriccio of Palaces and a Loggia Facing a Classical Bridge, c. 1765, pen and black ink over graphite on two joined sheets of laid paper, William B. O'Neal Fund, 1999.125.1

A Capriccio of Palaces and a Loggia Facing a Classical Bridge

Bernardo Bellotto · c. 1765 · pen and black ink over graphite on two joined sheets of laid paper ·  Accession ID  1999.125.1

The painting depicts a stately building complex from an elevated point. The buildings are large, with white, ivy-covered walls and dark, peaked roofs. One building on the left is directly ahead of us, while a closer building on the right sits on a small hill. The buildings are connected by wide gray paths and small stairs. Small people walk the paths or stand on the surrounding grass wearing dresses or suits in bright colors, some with white wigs or pointed hats. The light is warm, and the people cast soft shadows on the grass. Tall trees near the buildings provide areas of shade. The sky above is soft blue with pale white clouds.
Bernardo Bellotto, The Fortress of Königstein: Courtyard with the Magdalenenburg, 1756-1758, oil on canvas, Donated by Lolo Sarnoff in memory of her grandfather, Louis Koch, 1996.64.1

The Fortress of Königstein: Courtyard with the Magdalenenburg

Bernardo Bellotto · 1756-1758 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1996.64.1

The image shows a rural settlement, possibly an Italian village, with two figures interacting. One figure is seated on a log while the other stands holding a staff. The scene includes rustic, textured buildings, hills in the distance, and a prominent church with a dome and tower. The etching style features fine, detailed lines creating textures, notably in the foliage and architectural details. The color palette is predominantly sepia, giving an antiquated feel. Light clouds are visible in the sky.
Bernardo Bellotto, Landscape with a Dead Tree, 1741/1742, etching on laid paper, Gift of Andrew Athy, Jr., 1996.49.1

Landscape with a Dead Tree

Bernardo Bellotto · 1741/1742 · etching on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1996.49.1

The image shows an overhead view of a townscape, featuring buildings, a church with a tall spire, a circular tower, fortified walls with cannons, and trees. The composition includes a sky with wispy clouds, a horizon with water, and distant architectural structures. The etching style is detailed, with fine lines depicting the textures of stone buildings and tree foliage. The color scheme is monochromatic, using black and white tones.
Bernardo Bellotto, Vue des Remparts de Sonnenstein (View of the Ramparts of Sonnenstein), etching on laid paper, Gift of David P. Tunick, 2009.127.2

Vue des Remparts de Sonnenstein (View of the Ramparts of Sonnenstein)

Bernardo Bellotto · · etching on laid paper ·  Accession ID  2009.127.2

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Vue lateral des Galeries du Zwinger, a Dresde

Bernardo Bellotto · 1758 · etching ·  Accession ID  1952.8.63

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Vue interieure des Pavillons et des Galleries du Zwinger

Bernardo Bellotto · 1758 · etching ·  Accession ID  1952.8.64

Bibliography

1972

  • Kozakiewicz, Stefan. Bernardo Bellotto. Translated by Mary Whittall. 2 vols. New York, 1972.

1986

  • Bernardo Bellotto: La Vedute de Dresda. Exh. cat. Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, 1986.

1990

  • Bellotto: Verona e la città europee. Exh. cat. Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona, 1990.

  • Rizzi, Alberto. La Varsavia di Bellotto. Milan, 1990.

1996

  • De Grazia, Diane, and Eric Garberson, with Edgar Peters Bowron, Peter M. Lukehart, and Mitchell Merling. Italian Paintings of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1996: 7-9.