About this objectMuller was born in Bristol and took his first formal lessons with James Baker Pyne. In 1834 he travelled with George Arthur Fripp to Italy, via Holland, Germany and Switzerland. Later he also travelled to the Middle East and Northern France but died young, in 1845.
According to Fripp, 'Venice had been the goal of Muller's ambition for months, if not years. Most thoroughly did he enter heart and soul into the wondrous time-worn beauty of this floating city, the "Queen of the Adriatic" ...having hired a gondola ... Muller set to work to sketch in earnest'. The view chosen by Muller in this watercolour shows the entrance to the Grand Canal with the Dogana in the centre and Santa Maria della Salute on the right. The composition first appears in a watercolour sketch (now in the Victoria and Albert Museum) and, after the artist's return to London, he made oil paintings and watercolours from the design.
MakerMuller, William James (1812-1845)
Maker Rolepainter
Medium and Materialsmedium: watercolour
support: paper
