The buildings are (from left to right): the column of St Mark; the Doge's Palace; the Ponte della Paglia; the prisons; the uncompleted church of the Pietà (S. Maria della Visitazione) can be seen along the Riva degli Schiavoni. The architecture in this area is a generalised version of that which can actually be seen there. In front of the Ponte della Paglia is a temporary hut and a knife-grinder's stall.

Previously thought to be a studio work, recent cleaning makes it clear that the painting is an autograph work, probably of the late 1730s. Another version is in the Tatton Park collection (National Trust).