Dogana di Mare: The Customs House of Venice
The Punta della Dogana © Andrew Jo Chambers - FOTOLIA
The old customs house,
dwarfed by the massive dome of the Maria della Salute, is located on the
furthermost point of the Punta della Dogana, the wedge-shaped peninsular
at the entrance to the Grand Canal.
In the days when Venice was a major commercial centre, the customs house
controlled access to the Grand Canal and the San Marco docks.
Since virtually all taxes were raised by charging import duties on
commodities, the state had to search ships and check cargoes in order to
collect its revenues.
The original 14th century watch tower was constructed for the purpose of
preventing tax evasion. It was replaced by the present structure in
1690.
The customs house is typical of the baroque period. The arrangement of
its exterior columns varies between storeys in order to create a pattern
of eye-catching contrasts.
Its buttressed square tower supports two bronze Atlases who shoulder a
gilded globe on which the Goddess Fortuna, sculpted in the form of an
elegant bronze weathervane, holds a gilded sail to the breeze.
The Customs House. Photo by Patrick Fitzgerald of Atlanta, Georgia: Creative Commons Attribution 2 License
The Dogana di Mare is
splendidly ornate but by the late 17th century Venice was no longer able
to conceal its decline.
By the time the Dogana di Mare was completed, the city had been bled dry
by a succession of expensive wars and deadly plagues, and had lost much
of her trading empire. Foreign merchants, particularly the British and
Dutch, had established global trade routes which bypassed the eastern
Mediterranean. As a result, Venetian merchants lost their commercial
monopolies and were undercut, even in their home markets. Venice was
slowly going bankrupt.
The customs house may have been conceived as a symbol of commercial
power but the officers who manned its quays and warehouses were
increasingly unable to collect sufficient revenue to meet the city's
obligations.
And yet despite its financial problems, Venice was still determined to
keep up appearances. The customs house should not be seen as a symbol of
Venetian greatness but rather as an attempt to conceal its spiralling
decline.
Contact Sitemap User Conditions
© 2006-2010 LACT Limited. All rights reserved