"Both St Petersburg and Amsterdam have often been called the Venice of the North. The expression is a good starting point for presenting the finest works of the St Petersburg Hermitage's collection of eighteen-century Venetian art in the Hermitage Amsterdam and in this volume. In the eighteen century famous painters such as Canaletto, Guardi, Longhi and Tiepolo provided a suitable grande finale to Venice's magnificent artistic tradition. These artists are generously represented in the collections of the Hermitage in St Petersburg and for this overview a selection has been made of paintings, drawings and prints by these and other famous artists. The works are supplemented by exquisite examples of the famous Venetian glass, a long-standing tradition in the city."--BOOK JACKET
