The Entry of the French Ambassador

The artwork

The ambassador's gilded gondolas are mooring in front of the Doge's Palace, and on the quay a vast crowd of nobles, merchants and onlookers presses forward to see him arrive. You receive it printed on handmade Amalfi paper, in a handmade frame.

• The gold of the ceremonial gondolas, the pink of the Doge's Palace, the pale sky over the basin.
• A grand ceremonial scene that brings elegance to a study or a drawing room.
• A gift for anyone who loves history, travel and Venice.

When a new ambassador arrived in Venice, the Republic welcomed him with a solemn ceremony: the diplomat crossed the basin in gondolas decorated with gilded carvings and stepped ashore on the Molo, in front of the Doge's Palace, amid the crowd. It was a spectacle the whole city rushed to see. Here the arrival is that of the Abbé Henri-Charles Arnauld de Pomponne, ambassador of the King of France, in 1706.

Luca Carlevarijs (1663-1730), who before Canaletto understood that the city itself could become the subject of a painting, painted the scene between 1706 and 1708. For the Rijksmuseum it is one of the earliest examples of this genre, which went on to enjoy enormous success: throughout the eighteenth century, large views of Venice were treasured by travellers and collectors. The original is in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

In a study or a drawing room it brings the solemnity of a historic day. A refined gift for anyone who loves history.

Unique quality material

Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Sheet size: 40 x 60 cm (15.7 x 23.6 in)
With frame: 42 x 62 cm (16.5 x 24.4 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: dark brown with gold fillet, handmade, with glass