diff --git a/Source/DotNET/Model/Elements/Panels/Canvas.cs b/Source/DotNET/Model/Elements/Panels/Canvas.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..78a9e87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Source/DotNET/Model/Elements/Panels/Canvas.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+// Copyright (c) Cratis. All rights reserved.
+// Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file in the project root for full license information.
+
+using Cratis.Scene.Model.Common;
+
+namespace Cratis.Scene.Model.Elements.Panels;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Places its children at absolute coordinates within a coordinate space of its own. A child states where
+/// it sits through the <c>Canvas.Left</c>, <c>Canvas.Top</c>, <c>Canvas.Right</c> and <c>Canvas.Bottom</c>
+/// keys of its <see cref="SceneElement.Properties"/>, which is how an attached property is carried in a
+/// model that has no attached properties of its own.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// <para>
+/// Named for <c>@cratis/components</c>' <c>Canvas</c>, which is the surface a Cratis application actually
+/// draws one on. The vocabulary is shared deliberately: a designer placing components on a canvas and the
+/// model recording where they landed should not need two words for the same thing.
+/// </para>
+/// <para>
+/// This is a panel in the element tree, and is not the same concept as a
+/// <see cref="Layouts.FreeformArrangement"/> - that arranges a <em>layout slot's</em> content, with one
+/// placement variant per size class. A canvas places elements inside a single coordinate space, and is
+/// what a free-placement design surface serializes to.
+/// </para>
+/// </remarks>
+public record Canvas : Panel
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the size of the coordinate space children are placed in - the design surface a
+    /// <c>Canvas.Left</c>/<c>Canvas.Top</c> pair is measured against.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <remarks>
+    /// Either dimension left unspecified means the renderer decides, exactly as elsewhere. This is also
+    /// what tells a canvas apart from a plain <see cref="Panel"/>: the model carries no discriminator,
+    /// so a panel is recognized by the property it alone declares.
+    /// </remarks>
+    public Size Extent { get; init; } = new();
+}
diff --git a/Source/JavaScript/engine/for_panelKind/when_telling_the_panels_apart.ts b/Source/JavaScript/engine/for_panelKind/when_telling_the_panels_apart.ts
index 81cac86..840a1d6 100644
--- a/Source/JavaScript/engine/for_panelKind/when_telling_the_panels_apart.ts
+++ b/Source/JavaScript/engine/for_panelKind/when_telling_the_panels_apart.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 // Copyright (c) Cratis. All rights reserved.
 // Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file in the project root for full license information.
 
-import { DockPanel, Grid, HorizontalAlignment, Orientation, Panel, StackPanel, VerticalAlignment, Visibility, WrapPanel } from '@cratis/scene.model';
-import { isDockPanel, isGrid, isStackPanel, isWrapPanel } from '../index';
+import { Canvas, DockPanel, Grid, HorizontalAlignment, Orientation, Panel, StackPanel, VerticalAlignment, Visibility, WrapPanel } from '@cratis/scene.model';
+import { isCanvas, isDockPanel, isGrid, isStackPanel, isWrapPanel } from '../index';
 
 const base = {
     id: 'panel',
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ const base = {
     children: [],
 };
 
+const canvas: Canvas = { ...base, extent: { width: 1280, height: 800 } };
 const grid: Grid = { ...base, rows: [], columns: [] };
 const dock: DockPanel = { ...base, lastChildFill: true };
 const stack: StackPanel = { ...base, orientation: Orientation.Vertical, spacing: 0 };
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ const wrap: WrapPanel = { ...base, orientation: Orientation.Horizontal };
 const plain: Panel = { ...base };
 
 describe('when telling the panels apart', () => {
+    it('should recognize a canvas by its extent', () => isCanvas(canvas).should.be.true);
     it('should recognize a grid by its tracks', () => isGrid(grid).should.be.true);
     it('should recognize a dock panel by its fill flag', () => isDockPanel(dock).should.be.true);
     it('should recognize a stack panel by its spacing', () => isStackPanel(stack).should.be.true);
@@ -36,7 +38,10 @@ describe('when telling the panels apart', () => {
     it('should not mistake a stack panel for a wrap panel', () => isWrapPanel(stack).should.be.false);
     it('should not mistake a wrap panel for a stack panel', () => isStackPanel(wrap).should.be.false);
     it('should not mistake a grid for a dock panel', () => isDockPanel(grid).should.be.false);
+    it('should not mistake a canvas for a grouping panel', () => isCanvas(plain).should.be.false);
+    it('should leave a canvas unclaimed by the arranging guards', () =>
+        [isGrid(canvas), isDockPanel(canvas), isStackPanel(canvas), isWrapPanel(canvas)].should.have.members([false, false, false, false]));
 
     it('should leave a plain panel unclaimed by every guard', () =>
-        [isGrid(plain), isDockPanel(plain), isStackPanel(plain), isWrapPanel(plain)].should.have.members([false, false, false, false]));
+        [isCanvas(plain), isGrid(plain), isDockPanel(plain), isStackPanel(plain), isWrapPanel(plain)].should.have.members([false, false, false, false, false]));
 });
diff --git a/Source/JavaScript/engine/panelKind.ts b/Source/JavaScript/engine/panelKind.ts
index a8dd278..3b238b8 100644
--- a/Source/JavaScript/engine/panelKind.ts
+++ b/Source/JavaScript/engine/panelKind.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright (c) Cratis. All rights reserved.
 // Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file in the project root for full license information.
 
-import { DockPanel, Grid, Panel, StackPanel, WrapPanel } from '@cratis/scene.model';
+import { Canvas, DockPanel, Grid, Panel, StackPanel, WrapPanel } from '@cratis/scene.model';
 
 /**
  * Type guards telling the concrete panels apart, by the property each one alone declares - the same way
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ import { DockPanel, Grid, Panel, StackPanel, WrapPanel } from '@cratis/scene.mod
  * whatever way its platform considers neutral.
  */
 
+export function isCanvas(panel: Panel): panel is Canvas {
+    return 'extent' in panel;
+}
+
 export function isGrid(panel: Panel): panel is Grid {
     return 'rows' in panel && 'columns' in panel;
 }
diff --git a/Source/JavaScript/model/elements/panels/Canvas.ts b/Source/JavaScript/model/elements/panels/Canvas.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ce79d98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Source/JavaScript/model/elements/panels/Canvas.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// Copyright (c) Cratis. All rights reserved.
+// Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file in the project root for full license information.
+
+import { Panel } from '../Panel';
+import { Size } from '../../common';
+
+/**
+ * Places its children at absolute coordinates within a coordinate space of its own. A child states where
+ * it sits through the `Canvas.Left`, `Canvas.Top`, `Canvas.Right` and `Canvas.Bottom` keys of its
+ * `properties`, which is how an attached property is carried in a model that has no attached properties
+ * of its own.
+ *
+ * Named for `@cratis/components`' `Canvas`, which is the surface a Cratis application actually draws one
+ * on. This is a panel in the element tree, and is not the same concept as a `FreeformArrangement` - that
+ * arranges a *layout slot's* content with one placement variant per size class.
+ */
+export interface Canvas extends Panel {
+    extent: Size;
+}
+
+export const CanvasPropertyNames: (keyof Canvas)[] = ['extent'];
diff --git a/Source/JavaScript/model/elements/panels/index.ts b/Source/JavaScript/model/elements/panels/index.ts
index a5a6f81..9f75788 100644
--- a/Source/JavaScript/model/elements/panels/index.ts
+++ b/Source/JavaScript/model/elements/panels/index.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright (c) Cratis. All rights reserved.
 // Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file in the project root for full license information.
 
+export * from './Canvas';
 export * from './StackPanel';
 export * from './DockPanel';
 export * from './WrapPanel';
diff --git a/Source/JavaScript/react/for_panelLayout/when_arranging_a_panel.ts b/Source/JavaScript/react/for_panelLayout/when_arranging_a_panel.ts
index 09f4d29..687ae09 100644
--- a/Source/JavaScript/react/for_panelLayout/when_arranging_a_panel.ts
+++ b/Source/JavaScript/react/for_panelLayout/when_arranging_a_panel.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright (c) Cratis. All rights reserved.
 // Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file in the project root for full license information.
 
-import { ColumnDefinition, Dock, DockPanel, Grid, GridUnitType, HorizontalAlignment, Orientation, RowDefinition, SceneElement, StackPanel, VerticalAlignment, Visibility, WrapPanel } from '@cratis/scene.model';
+import { Canvas, ColumnDefinition, Dock, DockPanel, Grid, GridUnitType, HorizontalAlignment, Orientation, RowDefinition, SceneElement, StackPanel, VerticalAlignment, Visibility, WrapPanel } from '@cratis/scene.model';
 import { childStyle, panelStyle } from '../renderer/panelLayout';
 
 const base = {
@@ -28,6 +28,29 @@ const row = (over: Partial<RowDefinition> = {}): RowDefinition => ({ height: sta
 const column = (over: Partial<ColumnDefinition> = {}): ColumnDefinition => ({ width: star(1), minimumWidth: 0, maximumWidth: Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY, ...over });
 
 describe('when arranging a panel', () => {
+    it('should make a canvas the coordinate space its children are placed against', () => {
+        const panel: Canvas = { ...base, extent: {} };
+        panelStyle(panel)!.position!.should.equal('relative');
+    });
+
+    it('should size a canvas to its extent', () => {
+        const panel: Canvas = { ...base, extent: { width: 1280, height: 800 } };
+        const style = panelStyle(panel)!;
+        [style.width, style.height].should.have.members([1280, 800]);
+    });
+
+    it('should place a canvas child at the edges it names', () => {
+        const panel: Canvas = { ...base, extent: {} };
+        const style = childStyle(panel, child({ 'Canvas.Left': 40, 'Canvas.Top': 24 }), 0)!;
+        style.position!.should.equal('absolute');
+        [style.left, style.top].should.have.members([40, 24]);
+    });
+
+    it('should leave a canvas child that names no edge in flow', () => {
+        const panel: Canvas = { ...base, extent: {} };
+        (childStyle(panel, child(), 0) === undefined).should.be.true;
+    });
+
     it('should lay a stack panel out along its orientation', () => {
         const panel: StackPanel = { ...base, orientation: Orientation.Horizontal, spacing: 8 };
         panelStyle(panel)!.flexDirection!.should.equal('row');
diff --git a/Source/JavaScript/react/renderer/panelLayout.ts b/Source/JavaScript/react/renderer/panelLayout.ts
index d424339..16f1f7b 100644
--- a/Source/JavaScript/react/renderer/panelLayout.ts
+++ b/Source/JavaScript/react/renderer/panelLayout.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 // Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file in the project root for full license information.
 
 import type { CSSProperties } from 'react';
-import { isDockPanel, isGrid, isStackPanel, isWrapPanel } from '@cratis/scene.engine';
+import { isCanvas, isDockPanel, isGrid, isStackPanel, isWrapPanel } from '@cratis/scene.engine';
 import { Dock, GridUnitType, Orientation } from '@cratis/scene.model';
 import type { ColumnDefinition, GridLength, Panel, RowDefinition, SceneElement } from '@cratis/scene.model';
 
@@ -39,6 +39,16 @@ const number = (value: unknown): number | undefined => (typeof value === 'number
 
 /** The CSS that arranges a panel's own children. */
 export function panelStyle(panel: Panel): CSSProperties | undefined {
+    if (isCanvas(panel)) {
+        // Absolutely placed children need a positioned ancestor to be placed against, and the canvas is
+        // that ancestor rather than whatever happens to be above it.
+        return {
+            position: 'relative',
+            width: panel.extent?.width ?? undefined,
+            height: panel.extent?.height ?? undefined,
+        };
+    }
+
     if (isGrid(panel)) {
         return {
             display: 'grid',
@@ -77,6 +87,17 @@ export function panelStyle(panel: Panel): CSSProperties | undefined {
 export function childStyle(panel: Panel, child: SceneElement, index: number): CSSProperties | undefined {
     const properties = child.properties ?? {};
 
+    if (isCanvas(panel)) {
+        const left = number(properties['Canvas.Left']);
+        const top = number(properties['Canvas.Top']);
+        const right = number(properties['Canvas.Right']);
+        const bottom = number(properties['Canvas.Bottom']);
+        // A child that names no edge is not placed by the canvas at all, so it keeps whatever flow the
+        // renderer would otherwise have given it rather than being pinned to the origin.
+        if (left === undefined && top === undefined && right === undefined && bottom === undefined) return undefined;
+        return { position: 'absolute', left, top, right, bottom };
+    }
+
     if (isGrid(panel)) {
         const row = number(properties['Grid.Row']);
         const column = number(properties['Grid.Column']);
diff --git a/scene-model-shape.json b/scene-model-shape.json
index 222ecc1..67d7eae 100644
--- a/scene-model-shape.json
+++ b/scene-model-shape.json
@@ -56,6 +56,9 @@
         "Panel": [
             "children"
         ],
+        "Canvas": [
+            "extent"
+        ],
         "ItemsControl": [
             "itemsSource",
             "itemTemplate"