Paintings, Prints & Drawings — 1752
A View of the Monument erected in Memory of the dreadfull Fire in the Year 1666.
This view shows the Monument, a colossal stone Doric column built between 1671 and 1677 with St Magus Martyr in the background, looking down Fish Street Hill towards London Bridge. This engraving was derived from a painting by the great Venetian artist Canaletto who came to London in 1746 seeking British patrons. His works combined elegance with workaday descriptions which were very evocative of London at that time. This composition provided a model for numerous later views of city streets. Within the dignified setting of the Monument the street is shown animated with the incidental details of figures going about their business. Carriages, carts and shops, all of which evokes the busy nature of this area.
By focusing on the height of the 202 feet high Monument, the engraving highlights the purpose of the structure, namely to commemorate the Great Fire of London in 1666. This figure of 202 feet is the exact distance between the Monument and the site of the start of the Fire in Pudding Lane.
- Category:
- Paintings, Prints & Drawings
- Object ID:
- A18148
- Object name:
- A View of the Monument erected in Memory of the dreadfull Fire in the Year 1666.
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- 1752
- Material:
paper, ink
- Measurements/duration:
- H 266 mm, W 404 mm (plate mark), H 309 mm, W 455 mm (paper)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.