Johann Richter (1665 - 1745, also known as Giovanni Richter) was an influential painter of Venetian views who was known for depicting assemblages of famous architectural elements in the city. His landscapes gained a wide following and he can be seen as forerunner of the later veduta painters, such as Canaletto (1697 - 1768) and Bellotto (1720 - 1780).

The present pair of paintings depict the church of San Michele in Isola, Venice and the Bacino di San Marco, the area of the Venetian lagoon that faces the Doge's palace. The sense of scale and recession in each of the present paintings is heightened by the large figures and boats that anchor the foreground of the compositions, a device that was used to great effect by Richter and his followers.