Zecca of Venice

Tintoretto, Portrait of Jacopo Sansovino (before 1546), Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi. The architect also served as consultant architect for the construction of the Zecca to draw up contracts and to resolve all design-related matters.[15]

Saint Mark's Square

  a. St Mark's Basilica

  b. Ducal Palace

  c. Bell tower and Loggetta

  d. Marciana Library

  e. Mint

  f. Procuratie Nuove

  g. Napoleonic wing

  h. Procuratie Vecchie

  i. Clock tower

Independently of the need to provide greater fire protection and security as well as space for increased production, the mint was intended to symbolize Venice's financial recovery from years of famine and war.[note 7] It was an integral part of the renovatio urbis, the vast architectural programme begun under Doge Andrea Gritti to express Venice's renewed self-confidence and reaffirm its international prestige after the earlier defeat at Agnadello during the War of Cambrai and the subsequent Peace of Bologna which sanctioned Habsburg hegemony on the Italian peninsula at the end of the War of the League of Cognac. The programme, which included the library (1537) and the loggia of the bell tower (1538), called for the transformation of Saint Mark’s Square from an antiquated medieval town centre with food vendors, money changers, and even latrines into a classical forum. The intent was to evoke the memory of the ancient Roman republic and, in the aftermath of the Sack of Rome in 1527, to present Venice as Rome’s true successor.[16] Sansovino's understanding of Vitruvian principles and his direct knowledge of ancient Roman prototypes, garnered from his time in Rome, provided the expertise necessary to enact the programme.

To raise the 5,000 ducats appropriated for construction, the Council of Ten authorized the freeing of slaves on Cyprus, then a Venetian possession, at 50 ducats a head.[17][14][note 8] Additional funds were similarly raised in 1539 and 1544. Ultimately, the construction of the mint exceeded initial cost estimates roughly sixfold.[note 9]

Construction began in 1536 and, given the importance of the mint, does not seem to have been hindered by the financial constraints at the time of the Ottoman–Venetian War (1537–1540).[note 10] Since minting operations could not be interrupted, work had to proceed piecemeal, beginning with the charcoal depository on the northern side. To protect the structure from high tides, the floor level was raised by approximately 1 m (3.3 ft).[14] In 1539, it was decided to incorporate the lean-to cheese and sausage shops along the embankment into the new structure in order to give greater dignity to the mint façade but also to then extend the upper floor over the shops and provide additional space for the gold mint which was located upstairs. But for security concerns, the shops were relocated in 1588. The arcades on the ground floor, originally open to facilitate commercial activities, were walled, and the space was annexed to the mint.[18][19] Construction terminated in 1548.[20][21][note 11]

Sansovino's original building had only two floors with a low attic above, lit by small rectangular windows. But the attic became unusable during the summer months due to the combined heat of the sun on the leaden roof above and the furnaces below. In 1558, the Council of Ten consequently authorized the construction of an additional floor to be paid for with the remaining funds.[22][23] Although Sansovino was likely consulted for technical and structural aspects, it is improbable that he in fact designed the uppermost floor.[note 12]

Layout of the ground floor with shaded area indicating location of sausage and cheese shops (relocated in 1588)

Due to the need to ensure ongoing minting operations during construction, the basic layout of the earlier mint was most likely maintained, activities being momentarily relocated as new sections were built.[24] The area on the ground floor facing the lagoon, separated from the rest of the building by a staircase and a long corridor connecting the water entry along the canal and the land entry onto the Piazzetta, was occupied by the offices of the silver officials and by the furnaces for the smelting and casting of silver. In the rear section, twenty workshops for the production of silver coins were located along the sides of a rectangular courtyard. Sansovino designed these workshops as small spaces so that the closely placed walls would provide adequate support for the heavy stone vaults. Charcoal deposits were located on the far side of the courtyard. A cistern for the collection of rain water was built under the pavement, the water being accessed through a wellhead with a statue of Apollo that was commissioned of Danese Cattaneo.The upper floor, destined for the minting of gold coins, was similarly arranged but with larger, and hence fewer, workshops.[25]

Detail of façade showing rustication of Doric order

To convey a sense of impregnability appropriate to the function of the mint, Sansovino employed for the ground floor heavy rustication which was extended over the Doric order on the floor above. In Venice, such a combination of heavy-cut Istrian limestone and classical orders had already been used by Mauro Codussi for San Michele in Isola (begun 1469) and, in a more muted form, for Palazzo Corner Spinelli (1497–1500). However, it is likely that Sansovino was inspired by the ancient Porta Maggiore built under Claudius (52) and by Giulio Romano's designs for the portal at Villa Madama (1519) as well as for his own residence at Macel de' Corvi (1523–1524, demolished 1902) with which Sansovino would have been familiar from his second period in Rome (1516–1527).[26][27] Significantly, Sebastiano Serlio, in his seven-volume architectural treatise Tutte l'opere d'architettura et prospetiva, considered the solution of clean-cut capitals and bases with crude, rusticated columns to represent great strength and to be appropriate to a fortress.[28]

The windows on the Doric level, originally protected by heavy iron grilles, are fit tightly between the engaged columns with no exposed surface, creating the impression that they are deeply recessed in a thick wall and contributing further to the sense of impregnability. The effect is enhanced by the massive, protruding lintels above. The floor that was later added employs the Ionic order, and although it continues the rustication, the exposed walls around the windows and the delicate tympanums overhead, more typical of residential architecture, contrast with the design of the original structure and diminish the overall massive feel.[29]

The heavily rusticated entry portal, flanked by two telamons supporting a Doric entablature, was subsequently incorporated into the seventeenth arcade of the library.[note 13] In the resulting passageway, two colossal statues, carved by Girolamo Campagna and Tiziano Aspetti, were placed.

Minting activity fluctuated throughout the year according to the availability of bullion and the commercial needs of the merchants but was most intense in spring and early summer when, after the snow in the Alps had melted, German merchants brought silver and gold to the city and the departing merchant-galley fleets required large amounts of coinage for trade in the East.[30]

The number of employees consequently varied, but in addition to the salaried gastaldi (foremen), fabri (blacksmiths who forged dies), intaidori (die engravers), pexadori (weighers), and fanti (unskilled workers with menial tasks), the staff routinely included skilled labourers paid at a piecework rate: afinadori (refiners), fondadori (casters who cast blank flans), mendadori (emenders who controlled the prescribed weight tolerances), and stampadori (moneyers who struck coins) for both the silver mint (lower floor) and the gold mint (upper floor).[note 14] Estimates for the medieval mint place the workforce at around 225 individuals, making the mint the second largest single employer after the Arsenal, the government-operated shipyards.[31]

• Massari alla moneta e Massari all'oro e all'argento

The technical operations were coordinated by the Massari alla moneta e Massari all'argento e all'oro (mintmasters, separate for silver and gold). Usually of noble status, the Massari were responsible for acquiring bullion, supervising manufacture, and distributing newly minted coins.[note 15]

Painting of a Provveditore in Zecca escorting bullion to the Zecca by Marco Vecellio (Senate Hall, Doge's Palace)

In addition, several magistracies existed to provide oversight:

• Provveditori in Zecca

The Council of Ten was ultimately responsible for the control of the mint in consideration of its vital interest for the security of the state. But beginning in 1522, supervisory functions were assigned to a magistrate, chosen from among the Council membership, with the title of Provveditore in Zecca. Initially charged with the acquiring and minting of gold and the refining of silver, the Provveditore quickly assumed responsibility for the general direction of the mint. In addition, the Provveditore was responsible for dispensing government funds that were deposited in the mint to the subject cities and to the army. In 1562, the number of members of the Magistracy was increased to two and in 1572 a third was added. Following the reform of the Council of Ten in 1582, the magistracy came under the jurisdiction of the Senate.[32]

• Depositario

Created in 1543 by the Council of the Ten, the Depositario was responsible for the mint’s cash accounts. The Depositario also maintained accounts for private capital deposited in the mint and ensured that the funds were not misappropriated by the government.[33]

• Provveditori a ori e monete

The Provveditori a ori e monete were created in 1551 to ensure that gold, whether coined or not, was not sold at a price other than the official rate fixed by the government.[34]

• Provveditori sopra ori e argenti

Created in 1585, the Provveditori sopra ori e argenti intervened in cases of money exchanged at other than face value.[35]

• Conservatore dei pubblici depositi

The office of the Conservatore dei pubblici depositi was made permanent in 1592 with the responsibility for the reserve funds of the state that were kept in the mint.[35]

• Provveditore alli prò

Instituted in 1639, the Provveditore alli prò oversaw the payment of interest on the private funds deposited in the mint.[35]

Minting operations continued after the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797 but ceased in 1852 during the second period of Austrian rule (1814–1866).[36] In 1872, the Chamber of Commerce rented the building, signing a twenty-nine-year lease.[37] To prepare the building for its new function and accommodate the offices, an extensive renovation was carried out from 1870 to 1872. This involved inserting windows into the ground-floor arcades in the courtyard.[38] On the façade, the iron grilles of the windows on the upper two stories were removed. The result with regard to the first-floor windows was highly criticized by the art historian Camillo Boito who noted that the heavy protruding lintels had been conceived with the iron grilles underneath as a unified whole in order to give the façade a sense of strength and impenetrability. Without the accompanying ironwork as a visual support, the lintels appeared precariously balanced, and the windows were an "awkward eyesore, devoid of any common sense" ("una bruttura goffa e priva di senso comune").[39] Boito was equally critical of the modifications made to move the principal entry for the public to the main façade along the waterfront. Of the nine blind arcades, designed as a series, the central three were opened to create a visual focal point and mark the entry. But no corresponding focal point existed on the upper floors, and as a result the building lost its sense of unity.[39][40] The original aspect of the façade was reestablished when the remaining arcades were opened in 1892.[41]

In 1900, after the Chamber of Commerce declared its willingness to vacate the building prior to the expiration of the lease, the Italian government made the decision to utilize the structure for the Marciana Library.[42] At that time, the collection of codices and books was housed in the former Hall of the Great Council in the Doge's Palace, having been moved there from the library’s historical building in 1811. The palace, however, was ill-suited for the needs of the library. The space was insufficient, and the collection was inconveniently scattered in various rooms and corridors, with a heightened risk of theft. Visitors who toured the palace routinely disturbed readers, who were confined to a small, poorly lit room.[43] Most importantly, the collection had grown from around 50,000 volumes in 1811 to around 400,000, and the weight of the books threatened the palace's structural integrity: in 1897, several of the rooms had to be reinforced and damage repaired. The following year a commission of three architects inspected the building and concluded that they could not ensure its future stability.[44]

Over time, various alternative locations were considered, including the former monastery of San Zaccaria, Ca' Corner, and Ca' Rezzonico. The proposal to use the Zecca was first made by the librarian Carlo Castallani in 1885 and gained the support of the mayor of Venice, Filippo Grimani, and the Venetian senator and historian Pompeo Molmenti who intervened with the government. The architectural project to adapt the building was developed by the local office of the Ministry of Public Works, advised by the library administration.[40]

Given the urgent need to remove the collection from the palace, work proceeded rapidly. The divisions erected by the Chamber of Commerce to create individual offices were removed in order to have large, open-bay repositories for books. The reading room for printed books was created in the courtyard by roofing the space with a skylight in timber and glass and installing heating. The wellhead was removed and the original pavement covered with flooring.[note 16] New furnishings, walnut tables and chairs, were ordered. The reading room for manuscripts was set up in the area originally occupied by the silver furnaces. For this, bookcases were brought from the palace and modified to fit the new spaces. Other bookcases were modified for the room on the first floor where the manuscripts were to be kept. The collection was transferred between 12 August and 18 September 1904, and the library was opened to the public on 19 December 1904.[37] Before the official inauguration on 27 April 1905, the vaults were painted with themes that record the history of the library.