This work and its companion painting 'Piazza San Marco and the Colonnade of the Procuratie Nuove' are late works by Canaletto depicting views of the basilica of San Marco from either side of the main piazza. This picture shows the basilica framed by the pillars of an arcade to the west of the Piazza.
The man standing on the right is holding a cup and saucer. Florian's, one of the most famous cafés in the Piazza, is nearby. Probably painted, with its pendant 'Piazza San Marco and the Colonnade', in the late 1750s after Canaletto's return from England.
