Andrea Palladio published his design for the Rialto Bridge in his architectural treatise I quattro libri dell’architettura, describing it as ‘most beautiful’. Antonio Da Ponte’s (1512-1597) single-arch design was ultimately chosen to be built instead. Canaletto transforms Palladio’s black and white woodcut design into a reality, setting the bridge at a slight angle to make it more three-dimensional and surrounding it with buildings both real and imagined.