Sunset behind Santa Maria della Salute, Venice

Cooke spent ten seasons in Venice between 1850 and 1877. He was in search of new subject matter after his early success at the Royal Academy with northern European maritime subjects and was initially drawn to the city by its abundance of shipping vessels. His attention to detail echoed that of the Pre-Raphaelites and was praised by their champion John Ruskin, who spent much of the early 1850s there writing The Stones of Venice. The critic noted in his correspondence that the artist embodied the most curious mixture of conceit and humility that he had ever encountered.

Cooke's works from this period are faithful records of this most ethereal of cities and are often imbued with golden Mediterranean light. They were achieved with the help of his loyal gondolier, Vincenzo Grilla, who rowed the artist to new vantage points on the lagoon for each painting, and adapted his gondola to accommodate larger canvases. Cooke often inscribed his works 'Il Lagunetto' in the same vein as his illustrious predecessor Giovanni Antonio Canal, 'Il Canaletto'.