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Patrician Culture: Venice and Amsterdam in the Seventeenth Century

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2009

Peter Burke
Peter Burke
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
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Extract

In the seventeenth century, visitors to both cities were struck by the obvious physical similarities between Venice and Amsterdam. The social similarities were no less great. In a Europe mainly composed of monarchies, each was the greatest city of a republic. In a Europe where the ruling class still tended to identify with warriors, the patricians of Amsterdam and Venice were predominantly civilian. In a Europe whose political leaders usually despised trade, Venice and Amsterdam stood out as places where trade and politics could be combined with success, at least early in the seventeenth century. In a Europe whose ruling classes tended to spend most of their time on their country estates, the patricians of Venice and Amsterdam lived mainly in town.

Type
Research Article
Information
Transactions of the Royal Historical Society , Volume 23 , January 1973 , pp. 135 - 152
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 1973

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References

† This paper reports some of the results of a wider study of the ruling classes of Venice and Amsterdam which should be published in book form by Maurice Temple Smith in 1974. The research in Venice and Amsterdam on which it is based was made possible by a research award from the Leverhulme Trust Fund.

1 Venetian ambassadors to the United Provinces frequently made comparisons between the two cities. See Relazioni veneziane, ed. Blok, P. J. (The Hague, 1909), pp. 15, 35, 112Google Scholar.

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18 N. da Ponte*, L. Donà*, N. Donà*, F. Contarini*, N. Contarini*, F. Erizzo*, D. Contarini*, M. A. Giustinian*.

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59 Amsterdam, Gemeente Archief, Bicker papers, 717, pp. 218–20.

60 Paruta, P.*, Delia Perfezione della vita politica, p. 282Google Scholar; the speaker in this dialogue is Michele Surian.

61 L'honorevolezza et … la splendidezza della casa: G. Bembo*, will (1617). There are many similar phrases in proctors' wills.

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63 A. Grimani*, will (1624); cf. the will of G. da Lezze* (1624).

64 Bassi, , op. cit., p. 58Google Scholar and p. 124.

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68 The houses of J. Bisschop* and D. Bernard* were valued at this amount in 1623 and 1714 respectively.

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71 Ivanovich, C., a prolific writer of such verses, prints some in his Minerva al tavolino (Venice, 1681)Google Scholar.

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73 Wiel, T., I codici musicali contariniani (Venice, 1888)Google Scholar, catalogues 120 MSS from the Contarini collection now in the Marciana.

74 Vos, J., Alle de gedichten (Amsterdam, 1726), pp. 323fGoogle Scholar, describes a number of collections in verse.

75 Tulp*'s protest quoted by Fremantle, K., The Baroque Town Hall of Amsterdam (Utrecht, 1959), p. 64Google Scholar; for his patronage of Potter, see Houbraken, A., De Groote Schouwburg, ii (Maastricht, 1944), p. 102Google Scholar.

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78 Vondel dedicated King David in Ballingschap to A. de Graeff*; his translations of Oedipus Rex and Iphigenia in Tauris to J. Huydecoper*; the Batavische Gebroeders to S. van Hoorn*; and King David Hersteld to C. van Vlooswijk*.

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82 Bassi, , Architettura del ‘600 e del’ 700 a Venezia, p. 233Google Scholar.

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84 See von Moltke, J. W., Govert Flinch (Amsterdam, 1965)Google Scholar; the Munter portrait is no. 212 in his catalogue. De Graeff*'s friendship with Flinck is mentioned by Houbraken, , De Groote Schouwburg, ii, p. 18Google Scholar.