The Industrial and Ceremonial City

Abstract

Abstract During the later fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, industry replaced commerce as the center of the Venetian economy. The city became a major center of wool and silk cloth production and in luxury industries like glassmaking. Venice was in the forefront of printing, the new information technology, and became a major center of communication. To support its industries, Venice asserted stronger control over two essential mainland resources: water and wood. Management of the lagoon took on new urgency as water came to be seen as a threat to commerce and trade. Rituals and ceremonies assumed new significance in Venetian life as writers, architects, painters, composers, and others celebrated Venice. While Venice still looked to Byzantium for cultural models, Gasparo Contarini helped create the image of Venice as the model republic.