Shadows and secrets in St Mark’s
On the façade of the Old Procuracy building, a small detail attracts the viewer’s attention: washing hung out to dry between the arches. When we explore details of this kind using advanced study techniques, features that are imperceptible to the naked eye are revealed.
For example, X-radiography shows that Canaletto decided to conceal part of this washing beneath the last layers of paint. However, this was not the only change he made. He also altered the chimney, varying its proportions to integrate it better into the overall composition, and modified the lighting of the façade, which was somewhat more sombre in the initial design.
