Art and Archaeology of Venetian Ships and Boats

Throughout its existence as a bustling center of seafaring & trade, Venice has loomed large in maritime history. Its location, governmental policies, & the skills of its citizens made Venice a dominant military power & a major player in international trade by the Middle Ages. Yet little is known of what made that military & trade prowess possible--the early seagoing vessels of Venice. Remains of its ships & boats are few, & written records are rare. Excavations in the region have revealed only a few small boats, two merchant ships, & a galley, yet this limited sample of the ships & boats of Venice offers a base on which to build. Artistic representations provide distinctive clues to the past that are not available elsewhere. Drawing on material from several disciplines. The Art & Archaeology of Venetian Ships & Boats combines lively discussions of art & history with scientific scholarship. Here, nautical archaeologist Lillian Ray Martin has collected representations of ships & boats in medieval & early Renaissance art from museums, churches, libraries, & public buildings of Venice & the surrounding region. After outlining her method of study, Martin presents a brief history of Venetian art, inextricably linked to the history of the area, & then carefully catalogues each known piece of Venetian art that depicts watercraft. She includes such information as the title, artist, date, location, types of watercraft shown, & a comprehensive description of each piece. Martin combines archaeological, documentary, & iconographic evidence to paint a more accurate picture of Venetian watercraft, making The Art & Archaeology of Venetian Ships & Boats the most complete compilation of the sources available today. More than 150 illustrations, including representations from paintings, sculptures, frescoes, mosaics, engravings, manuscript illuminations, & more, enhance the book. The Art & Archaeology of Venetian Ships & Boats reveals important facts about the construction, rigging, & sailing of Venetian watercraft, shedding new light on the history of Venetian seafaring & the resulting economic & political relations Venice had with the Byzantine & European worlds.Martin, Lillian Ray is the author of 'Art and Archaeology of Venetian Ships and Boats' with ISBN 9781585440986 and ISBN 1585440981.