Canaletto was one of many artists working in Venice, a flourishing artistic community in the eighteenth century. Joseph Smith was one of the greatest art patrons in the city. He knew many Venetian artists personally, and all of the paintings in this exhibition were part of his vast collection. These works filled his palazzo on the Grand Canal and his country retreat at Mogliano on the Venetian mainland.

Sebastiano Ricci (1659–1734) was highly regarded both in Venice and throughout Europe. He worked in the esteemed genre of history painting, taking his subjects from the Bible, history, literature and mythology. His paintings continued the tradition of Venice’s great history painters from the sixteenth century. Ricci was especially influenced by the paintings of Paolo Veronese (1528–88), which could be seen in churches and palaces all over Venice.