In early 1761, Bellotto left Vienna carrying the letter of introduction exhibited here. Empress Maria Theresa addressed it to her cousin, the Princess of Bavaria, but mentions Bellotto only laconically. After a short stay in Munich, Bellotto returned to Dresden to find the city and his possessions devastated by war. In The Ruins of the Pirna Suburb, he records this destruction with stark naturalism, although the grazing sheep, a shepherd, and overgrown vegetation suggest quiet resilience. Back in Dresden, Bellotto faced professional setbacks. Having formerly worked here as court painter, he was now demoted to “perspective instructor” at the Academy. He struggled to maintain a livelihood. Amid this hardship, he painted Architectural Fantasy with a Venetian Nobleman, making a strong argument for the importance of perspective as a foundation for artistic invention. The red-cloaked figure, perhaps an alter ego, asserts creative freedom, echoed by a citation from the ancient Roman poet Horace inscribed on the column: “Painters and poets have always enjoyed equal freedom to dare anything.” Together, these two paintings navigate between harsh reality and imaginative utopia. By 1767 Bellotto left Dresden again, this time moving to Warsaw, where he secured once more the position of court painter and put his observational and compositional skills in the service of the Polish king.
Empress Maria Theresia to Maria Antonia of Bavaria, Electoral Princess of Saxony
Sächsisches Staatsarchiv, Hauptstaatsarchiv Dresden
»Madame ma chere cousine. Je n’ais put voir partir Canaletti [= Bellotto] sans le charger de ces lignes et le lui recomander; il s’est conduit ici tres bien et nous at fournit plusieurs pieces des ces ouvrages tres belle. Je lui porte envie de vous voir peut-etre 8 mois plutot que moi.
Je souhaite bien que la nouvelle année me procure ce bonheur et qu’elle soit plus heureuse que les autres, nous avonts actuellement pour peu des jours les princes Albert et Clement chez nous qui m’interessent infiniment et je le aime d’autant plus vous etant si tendrement attachee. Ils ont bien regretée de n’avoir eut la permition de vous voir; il l’esperent a leurs retour, et je suis tonjours de Votre Altesse tres affectionnée cousine
Marie Therese«
“Madam, my dear Cousin, I could not let Canaletti [= Bellotto] depart without entrusting him with these lines and commending him to you. He has conducted himself here exceedingly well and has supplied us with several very beautiful examples of his work. I even envy him for perhaps seeing you eight months sooner than I. I sincerely hope that the new year will grant me this happiness, and that it may be a happier one than the others. We have at present, for a few days, Princes Albert and Clement with us. They interest me immensely, and I am all the more attached to them since you are so tenderly devoted to them. They greatly regretted not having had permission to see you; they hope for this on their return. I remain, as always, Your Highness’s most affectionate cousin,
Maria Theresa”
The Ruins of the Pirna Suburb in Dresden
Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie, Troyes
Architectural Capriccio with Self-Portrait of the Artist in the Robes of a Venetian Nobleman
The Royal Castle in Warsaw – Museum