Search -
Canaletto and the Case of the Westminster Bridge
Canaletto and the Case of the Westminster Bridge Author:Janet Laurence It's London in 1746 and the Italian Painter Canaletto arrives to paint the new Westminster Bridge eager to rediscover the fame and fortune he once enjoyed in Venice. — No sooner does he land, however, than danger dogs his footsteps. Rescued from certain death by Fanny Rooker, an apprentice engraver with plans for an artistic career, Canaletto dis... more »covers he is a target for robbery and worse.
In London there are many who have cause to fear Canaletto's arrival: the aristocratic Brecon family, desperate to repair their fortunes; their ambitious tutor-cum-secretary James Bennet; grasping Alderman John Fowler; and the beautiful, fortune-hunting Anne Montesqui.
Against a background of mid-eighteenth century London, rapidly developing into a capitalistic paradise full of opportunists on the make, Canaletto struggles to stay alive, aided by the courageous Fanny. Then Paymaster General William Pitt enlists his help to discover why the completion of Westminster Bridge is so scandalously late. Early one morning, Canaletto goes out to sketch the new bridge and makes a most grisly discovery.
Canaletto found a quiet section of the quay, placed his precious bag between his legs and relished the feeling of its solidity against his calves. He found the letter, then as he drew it out, his attention was caught by the busy port scene.
Half-furled sails sagged like badly hung sheets on washing lines, sailors lined spars, securing billowing canvas with neat ties, and everywhere masts caught the uncertain sun, graceful geometry against a sky that was dimmed with dirty grey clouds, no clarity of Italian blue here.
Canaletto's fingers itched for pen and paper. The lines those spars made against the jumble of buildings, the impertinence of the little boats that scampered about the water! Lost in the scene, memorizing its effect, he was oblivious to all around him.
He failed to see a mean-faced figure with an ornate gold earring approach. He failed to notice a heavy gantry start to move or to hear someone shout a warning.
Suddenly a figure cannoned into him with stunning force. As he fell, he sensed something whistling through the air above his head. His letter blown from his fingers, he rolled over the slippery stone towards the edge of water-soaked wooden piers and the depths of the Pool of London.« less