St. Paul's Cathedral
Canaletto, c. 1754
London clears for Wren's dome. Canaletto sets St. Paul's in daylight like a monument that knows it is being watched.
About this work
St. Paul's Cathedral is an oil painted around 1754 by Canaletto, now in the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven. The Venetian view painter worked in England from 1746 to 1756 and painted many views of London. St Paul's appears in many of his Thames views, but the Yale Center says this is the only one to show the whole building from close range. The cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of 1666 destroyed the medieval church, was completed in 1710. Its dome, 365 feet high, made it the tallest building in London until 1963. Canaletto sets the west front and dome in clear daylight and fills the churchyard and street with conversing figures and elegant carriages, so that the architecture becomes a backdrop for city life. The picture was painted for Thomas Hollis, one of Canaletto's most important English patrons, who commissioned many London views from him. It is the same size and format as a view of the Campidoglio in Rome that Hollis also ordered, and the museum suggests artist and patron meant the two great civic spaces to be compared. The canvas, 52.1 by 61.6 cm, is part of the Paul Mellon Collection.
Sources: Yale Center for British Art: St. Paul's Cathedral (B1976.7.95) · Wikipedia: St Paul's Cathedral · Wikipedia: Canaletto
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 6,092 × 5,113 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 40 × 34 in
- Sizes
- Small (20 × 17 in) · $100 · 301 ppi
Medium (24 × 20 in) · $150 · 254 ppi
Large (36 × 30 in) · $300 · 169 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of St. Paul's Cathedral?
Here. St. Paul's Cathedral is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (20 × 17 in) for $100, Medium (24 × 20 in) for $150 and Large (36 × 30 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for St. Paul's Cathedral?
The file is 6,092 × 5,113 px, so every size is sharp: even Large (36 × 30 in) prints at 169 ppi. Choose Large (36 × 30 in) for a large wall; Small (20 × 17 in) suits a narrower space.
Is it legal to print St. Paul's Cathedral?
Yes. St. Paul's Cathedral is in the public domain: its copyright, if it ever had one, expired long ago. In the United States a faithful photograph of a public-domain painting does not create a new copyright (Bridgeman v. Corel, 1999), so the image can be printed and sold freely.
