Description of the picture:
Westminster Abbey and the Knight Procession – Antonio Canaletto. 1749
This wonderful canvas is a typical historical chronicle. Due to the meticulous accuracy of the image, we can accurately judge how Westminster Abbey looked during this time period, and also make up a complete memory of the pomp of the knightly procession, accompanied by the higher clergy of the Anglican church.
The first thing that appears in front of a person looking at this picture is the image of the abbey building made with the accuracy of the drawing. The buildings are depicted in simply photographic details, everything is made with the smallest details – from harmonious proportions of structures to lace stone trim.
The procession, which moves in front of the viewer along a smooth arc, is depicted already receding into the distance, we see its last participants. The pure white color of the priests’ outfits and their scarlet cloaks are the brightest colors in the picture, which is mainly made in a restrained, almost monochrome palette."