Martin Gayford

Dealer’s choice

His little interiors of San Marco, shadowy and mysterious, are lovely – elsewhere the subjects are obvious, not to say touristy

issue 03 June 2017

  • Canaletto & the Art of Venice

    Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, until 12 November

One evening a few weeks ago I was on my way to the opening of an exhibition at the Venice Biennale when I stopped for a moment in a quiet campo off the main drag. An elderly priest was standing on the steps of the church of Santa Maria della Fava in the weak sunshine.

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Rome In the days before the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, traditionalist Catholics were so worried about interference from evil spirits that, according to reliable sources, they arranged for a priest to conduct what’s known as a ‘minor exorcism’ outside the walls of the Vatican. Such ceremonies, which typically involve the sprinkling of holy

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