The Monument of London in Rememberance of the Dreadfull Fire in 1666
This view shows the Monument, a colossal stone Doric column built between 1671 and 1677 with St Magus in the background looking down Fish Street Hill towards London Bridge. There is a Venetian feel to the image with the dominant Monument, grand buildings and wide streets.
This engraving was based on a drawing 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. Within ten years of his arrival he had asserted a strong influence on British topographical painting and his influence was widely disseminated through etchings and prints such as this one. By focusing on the height of the Monument of 202 feet high, the engraving highlights the purpose of the Monument, namely to commemorate the Great Fire of London in 1666. This distance of 202 feet is the exact distance between the Monument and the site of the start of the Fire in Pudding Lane.
