INTERIORS OF VENETIAN PALACES.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 2545, 19 January 1894, Page 6

INTERIORS OF VENETIAN PALACES.

In an article in the Art Journal, Lady Colin Campbell describes some of the interiors of Venetian Palaces, and incidentally gives the following interesting particulars of the wealth and luxury of the early Venetians, and the | efforts made by the paternal government of the republic to repress their extrava- \ gance. "No better proof of the luxury ' of the patricians can be given than the ( fact that the senate found it continually necessary to promulgate sumptuary j laws against particular forms of extravagance. I have already spoken of the edict in 1537 against receptions j after confinements ; but sixty years before that the love of interior decoration had reached such a height, that in 14.70 a law was passed forbidding anyone to spend more than one hundred and fifty gold ducats on any one room, which sum must include all carvings, guildings, and paintings used therein. It does not seem to have had a very lasting effect, as not only in 1537 was the other law I have mentioned passed, but at the end of the sixteenth century a whole series of sumptuary edicts entitled Reggimenli were issued, of which the most important were those of July, 1593; June, 1505; March, 1598; June, 1 (>o 1 ; and March, 161 *. According to these paternal commandments it was forbidden to hang a whole house in black on the death of a relative ; to hang with silk the walls of the porlego (or hall) or other rooms which could be decorated wdth stamped leather, which must be of simple design and only of a certain height. No doubt this was partly with the intention of encouraging the home manufacture of these stamped leathers orcuori d'oro, which brought so large a revenue to Venetian coffers. It was only allowed to hang one room in a palace with tapestry. Floor carpets, tablecloths in silk or cloth of gold were likewise forbidden, as were also silken curtains to the windows, except to those of the principal room of the house. Not more than twelve chairs might be covered in silk or velvet, not one might be gilt ; and among other forbidden articles were counted velvet-covered chests and tables, door panels in chased gold, walnut wood beds, gilt or painted, gold-embroidered curtains or bedcoverings, velvet scabbards with gold ornaments for either swords or daggers. The silver-plate must not exceed in i value sixty marks ; the coaches (for these edicts were, chiefly directed against the extravagance of the Venetian nobles who were sent as governors to the various towns belonging to the Republic on the mainland), must not be lined with either velvet or silk, nor be ornamented with gilding, nor be drawn by more than two horses ; the harness must be of leather not silk, and be without ornaments. But so far as the patrician governors were concerned, their influence was too strong to allow such laws to hold good against the ever-increasing love of luxury and display; and, in 1653, the senate allowed the governors of the mainland towns to indulge once more in sumptuous furniture for their palaces, and allowed them to possess silver plate up to the value of fifteen hundred ounces, which afterwards was increased, by j further laws passed in 1682 and 174.9, jto six thousand ounces. Feasts and , suppers at which women were present j (unless their presence was excused on j the ground of relationship) were ! forbidden by the paternal government from the month of September to the last day of carnival (it would be interesting to know how long the lighthearted Venetians paid the smallest attention to a decree so entirely contrary to their tastes), and in order to prevent dishonest and foolish things (niulta imp/a el vana), nobody from St Michael's Day till the first day of Lent, post sonum lertium campanae, might have cither men or women to supper. Ir 1450 all repasts that cost more than half a ducat a head were forbidden, in the hope of putting down costly feasts, which, in the solemn words of the decree, * are an abomination towards God and the world.' In the sixteenth century it was forbidden to sell pheasants, peacocks, turkeys, franco/ins, wild fowl, trout, and other freshwater fish, and all sweetstuffs and confections except,' pastry and ordinary dainties.'"