Venetian Galleys as Domestic Space

• In Event: Seafaring Structures I

Abstract

This paper considers the architectural configuration of the Venetian galley, which transported merchants, pilgrims and galleots on the long voyage between Venice and the eastern Mediterranean. Trade and shipping were risky but could yield huge profits if successful. In nautical manuals, ship architecture was described in mathematical terms, using formulae rather than drawings to describe the subtly modelled curves of the hull’s form. Accommodation was hierarchical, stratified according to both class and wealth. Eating and sleeping arrangements were described in letters and pilgrim chronicles, while portolans compiled advice for travellers including prayers and medical remedies. As today, passengers had both luggage in the hold and hand baggage. The devotional and cultural life on board ship not only served to alleviate boredom but also to mediate the transition between east and west, and on-board prayers helped to alleviate anxieties and to confront the forces of nature.

Author

• Deborah Howard, University of Cambridge