Capriccio: St Paul’s and a Venetian Canal

Marlow painted this capriccio placing St. Paul's Cathedral alongside a Venetian canal around 1795. The architectural fantasy genre had a long tradition from Canaletto and Panini. Marlow playfully merged his knowledge of London and Venice. Marlow was a skilled topographical painter who worked in the tradition of Canaletto — whose work he had studied directly — combining architectural precision with warm, luminous skies that gave his urban views their distinctive character.

Marlow renders both St. Paul's dome and the Venetian architecture with precision despite the fictional combination. Warm Italian light and reflective water demonstrate his skill in both traditions.