Venetian Capriccio

Holland visited Venice for the first time in 1835, a trip he repeated many times during his life. He often painted its idyllic views in watercolour and this work helped to establish his reputation. 'Venetian Capriccio' was exhibited at the Old Watercolour Society in London in 1856.

The term capriccio is used to describe paintings and watercolours that combine the real architecture and topography of a place with imagined details and features to create a idealised view.