A Gondola on the Grand Canal, Venice, 1866 Signed and dated 17
7/8 x 13 7/8 in. (45.4 x 35.2 cm) William Callow made several
visits to Italy, each time making drawings and sketches that he
used in London to produce finished watercolors. The Grand Canal
in Venice has always been a popular subject for artists, and in
the eighteenth century many images were produced of the great
water festivals that took place there. During such festivals,
processions of highly decorated gondolas progressed through the
city's canals like a floating carnival. The gondola is the main
mode of transport in Venice. This long, narrow boat is propelled
by the gondolier, who uses a pole to propel the craft through
the water. In Callow's painting, the gondolier can be seen
pushing his gondola away from the steps of a house on the right
of the picture. The striped red and white poles rising up from
the canal were used as moorings to tie up the gondolas; each
house had its own set of poles. Two figures lounging on the
steps emphasize the p