Sunday Morning at a Villa in the Veneto, crowds leaving the chapel

(Luca Carlevaris)

This scene is unusual in the oeuvre, as it seems not entirely to be a capriccio, but to represent a definite location in the Veneto and was probably commissioned by the owner to show off his grandiose house. The view is from the back or garden facade, and shows the servants, family, and guests returning from Mass in the little chapel. It is not possible completely to identify the villa because of this garden view, but if one notices the prominent and high pitch of the pediment at the front of the house, one can assume that it was of monumental proportions, and may well have been the Villa Bellati. Certain groups of figures have been used elsewhere in paintings of Venice, and can be found in drawings at the V&A.