The Venetian Palazzo

Being on the water, Venice and its architects were forced to adapt to the surroundings with the changing tides and similarly, having to bear in mind the weight of what they are building. Therefore, it is typical for architecture in Venice to have many windows in order to prevent putting too much weight on the wooden pillars holding up the city. One of the Venetian islands, Murano, is known for its glass-making, this is because a law was made in 1291 stating that all furnaces for glass making should be moved to the separate island. This was to prevent fire spreading across the predominantly wooden structures in the city, however, many historians agree that this was to prevent tradesmen from exchanging trade secrets. The glassmakers remained on the island and that is how Murano earned its reputation as a “premier glass-manufacturing center”. Palazzos often had large windows, especially ones looking over the Grand Canal such as Ca’ D’oro and Ca’ Rezzonico, this is in order for the palaces to be seen into. The importance of familial wealth and status was prevalent during the Venetian Renaissance, this is shown through the grandeur of the architecture and similarly, the way in which these buildings were made to be viewed from the outside. The large windows give passersby a glimpse into the loggia which often contained the art collections of the patrons. This display of wealth goes hand in hand with status: the appearances of the houses from the back is very different because not many people would see this side. The importance of status in this society was huge as it was seen to coincide with ideas about god; through being wealthy and powerful, families were able to build churches and side chapels and therefore, showed their devotion to God. During this period, appearances held a massive significance and this is shown through the city of façades that cover the fronts of the houses. Despite this, it is a uniquely Venetian idea to refer to grand houses like these as ‘casa’, meaning house, rather than the usual term, palazzo, that is used to refer to wealthy family homes throughout Italy to alleviate authority and status. The Palazzo Grimani is an example of the use and importance of windows in this period (fig. 1). The palace was bought by wealthy merchant and art collector Antonio Grimani in the late 15th century, who later became the Doge. The many windows on the façade reflect the fact that this is a Venetian Palazzo: in order to make the building itself lighter and similarly, in order for the house to be viewed from the Grand Canal. As a collector, Grimani would have had a large portion of his works in his loggia and therefore, these vast windows allow for onlookers to catch a glimpse of his collection. Venetian architecture is often characterised by the significant use of glass as this became part of their identity as a state. Similarly, the impact that their surroundings have on their buildings is prevalent: Venetian palazzos often have four floors, one of which, the portico, is almost completely empty. This is in order to prepare for floods and rising tides, being built on a lagoon it was important for all of the architecture to be adapted to its unpredictable environmental surroundings. One significant impact of the water on Venice’s architecture is erosion: the Ca’ D’Oro (House of Gold) is a Venetian Palazzo of the Renaissance that has suffered the effects of erosion. The salty sea air has removed the original painted facade using many colours and pigments including gold leaf. Similarly, the colouring of the different kinds of marble used for the facade has faded such as Lapis Lazuli and Red Verona Marble. The impact of the city’s environment and surroundings on the architecture is prominent and therefore, reflects Venice through their techniques.