View of Madrid

Joli's View of Madrid, painted in 1762 during his extended residence in Spain, documents the Spanish capital's architectural character for a noble or royal patron. Joli served the Spanish royal court as a scene painter and was well placed to receive commissions for views of Madrid. Such topographical views of European capitals were popular with aristocratic collectors as records of places they had visited or governed, and Joli's theatrical scene-painting background made his vedute particularly authoritative.

The Madrid view is organised with Joli's characteristic stage-designer's clarity: a clear recession from foreground staffage to mid-ground architecture to a luminous sky. His precise rendering of the buildings and the warm Spanish light distinguish this work from his Italian vedute. The figures are disposed with the easy naturalness of an experienced genre painter.