Undoubtedly the best-known 18th-century Venetian view painter, Canaletto apprenticed with his father, Bernardo Canal, as a theatrical scene painter (hence his nickname, ‘Little Canal’) and worked in Rome in 1719-1720 painting for the opera. He then turned to creating topographical images of Venice and its dramatic architecture – the picturesque vedute, characterised by a distinct precision, that brought him international fame and important patronage. War in Europe in the 1740s reduced his clientele of Grand Tourists, so he turned temporarily to etching. He lived in England from 1746 to 1755 (except for an eight-month period), where he painted views of London and the country houses of his patrons. His nephew Bernardo Bellotto was his pupil.