Eighteenth-century Venice, though in a phase of political decline, was also the scene of an unprecedented degree of artistic splendour. The art of the Tiepolo family and the view painters Canaletto and Guardi came to be known and appreciated throughout Europe.
The fame of 18th-century Venetian art, however, is also due in no small way to the engraving "workshops" which sprang up throughout the city, and which succeeded in rendering their art more popular and accessible to everwidening sections of the population.
The master-engravers of this Age of Enlightenment were Luca Carlevarijs, Marco Ricci, Canaletto, Giambattista Tiepolo and Piranesi.
The year 1729 saw thefoundation of a guild, the "Arte degli incisori", whose purpose was the development of new techniques and wider markets for the art of engraving, together with the protection of members of the guild from counterfeiters and imitators.
In their attempt to mediate between art and craft, between the artist and his public, the BAC art studio and Cadore Art Workshops provide a living link with the Venetian tradition of engraving.