Venice during the late 18th century was the most celebrated subject for view painters and imaginary landscape artists of the period. Featured in the exhibition are examples of three Venetian masters, Bernardo Bellotto, Giuseppe Bison, and Francesco Guardi. The glory of the Grand Canal is captured in The Grand Canal, Venice, Looking South-East from Santa Stae to the Fabbriche Nuove Di Rialto, by Bernardo Bellotto, the famous painter of Venetian scenes and nephew of Canaletto, whose style is characterized by magnificent architectural detail and luminous golden light. The sparkling glow of the Venetian canals is similarly evident in Giuseppe Bison's S.S. Giovanni e Paolo, with the Colleoni Monument. Francesco Guardi represents the imaginary Venice in the important work, Architectural Caprice with Ruins, a large loosely rendered landscape evoking a nostalgic and romantic ideal of a lost past. Also by Guardi are a small pair of similar imaginary scenes.

From the end of the 16th Century numerous Northern European artists migrated to Italy attracted by the artistic culture and the picturesque scenery. A theme common to these artists and to this exhibition is the landscape with classical figures. The great 17th century landscapist Claude Lorrain is represented by two works: a recently discovered oil on copper, The Dance of the Seasons, and a large oil, A Classical Landscape with Dancing Figures. One of the earliest Northern artists to travel to Italy was Paul Bril (1554-1626). His Landscape with Nymphs and Satyrs, circa 1620, is a fine representation of his later work which often contains mythological narrative and pastoral settings. Another example of an Italian landscape with figures is by Jan Frans van Bloemen, called "Orizzonte", a Flemish painter who migrated to Italy late in the 17th Century. Gaspar Van Wittel, called Vanvitelli (1652-1736), who came from Holland, is represented by several works including An Architectural Capriccio from inside the Colosseum.

The drawings from Aldega/Gordon include preparatory studies to highly finished works, covering many subjects and types - designs for architecture, furniture and the stage, mythical, religious and genre scenes, and landscapes - and represent numerous artists. A pen-and-ink landscape of particular interest is the small, elegant Landscape with Washerwoman by Annibale Carracci (1560-1609), the preeminent 16th century Italian classicist. Others featured include Francesco Maria Mazzola, called Il Parmigianino(1503-1540), Francesco Bassano (1549-1592), Ercole Procaccini (1596-1676), Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), Giovanni Paolo Pannini (1691-1765), Giuseppe Bernardino Bison (1762-1844) and Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931).