Gardens of Versailles
Grand Canal
With a length of 1,500 metres and a width of 62 metres, the "Grand Canal", which was built between 1668 and 1671, physically and visually prolongs the east-west axis to the walls of the "Grand Parc". During the "Ancien Régime", the "Grand Canal" served as a venue for boating parties. In 1674, as a result of a series of diplomatic arrangements that benefited Louis XIV, the king ordered the construction of "Petite Venise" – Little Venice. Located at the junction of the "Grand Canal" and the junction of the northern transversal branch, Little Venice housed the caravels and yachts that were received from The Netherlands and the gondolas and gondoliers received as gifts from the Doge of Venice, hence the name (Marie 1968; Nolhac 1901, 1925; Thompson 2006; Verlet 1985).
View of the Canarregio Canal
View of the Canareggio Canal was painted by Francesco Guardi (Italian pronunciation: franˈtʃesko ˈgwardi; October 5, 1712 – January 1, 1793) around 1770. It is a small oil on canvas painting measuring 48.9 × 77.5 cm. It now hangs in the reading room of the Frick Art Reference Library alongside the "Guardi Regatta in Venice". Both paintings were gifted to the Frick Collection by Helen Clay Frick after her father's death. In the painting, Guardi captures a typical scene of Venetian life on the canals. In this particular veduta, Guardi depicts a section of the northern bank of the Cannaregio Canal, one of Venice’s largest canals, located in the Canareggio Sestiere or district of the city.