We have a new piece in the shop that is so exciting! It is a very rare 18th century Venetian gondola chair. It is so amazing that it has survived these last centuries, from the time of Casanova!
The gondola is a symbol of Venice, an elegant black boat that can be driven easily with a single oar by one man, or perhaps by one woman? Up until now, no woman has been admitted in the official gondola service because female candidates have failed to pass the exam. The official reason is inexperience and lack of skill. But everybody knows that admitting a woman to this profession would break a die hard tradition.
How do you drive a gondola? As you may recall from endless photographs, the gondolier stands up and turns to the direction of movement: this is called "voga alla veneziana", rowing Venetian style. The oar is supported by the characteristic "forcola", made from a single piece of walnut, like an arm folded at the elbow.
This gondola is a reproduction of one from the 1700's - note the closed cabin
It was made for a movie about Casanova
The gondola was not only a means of transportation. The closed cabin ("felze") placed in its center (not in use nowadays) offered both a shelter from bad weather and privacy for the passengers, who could enjoy reading, food, drink, conversation, or romance without being seen. The dark side is that escaped criminals and kidnappers have favored the felze. With open cabins, Venetians cooled off on hot summer nights ("fresco") while showing off their finery.
1700's Venetian gondola chair - our "new" pride and joy!
The gondola as we know it today is the result of an evolution responding to the need for increased manoeuvrability and practicality. For instance, the original wooden cabin disappeared as tourism spread. The view of Venice from a gondola is so exceptional that it would be a pity to hide it from passengers. The gondola chair we have is from the 1700's when the closed cabin was still in use.
We love the old paint surface
You can see the faint image of a crest
We are displaying this fabulous Venetian gondola chair as a piece of art
The curve of the side of the chair is poetry in wood
And look at the faint but beautiful hand painted decoration
The origin of the name "gondola" is uncertain. It may come from the Latin "cymbula" (little boat) or "cuncula", diminutive of "concha" (shell). It made its first appearance in paintings in the late 15th and early 16th Centuries in works by Gentile Bellini, Vittore Carpaccio, and Giovanni Mansueti. According to documents of the Serenissima Republic (the ancient state of Venice), the gondola was born in the early 1000s. With time, the gondola acquired characteristics that distinguished it as a boat designed for the private transport of persons of a certain rank.
These gaudy gondola chairs are very different then the ones from time of CasanovaThirty six feet long, 1323 pounds in weight, made with eight different kinds of wood in 280 pieces (the only elements in metal are the "iron" of the head and the "risso" of the stern), the gondola is asymmetric. The left side is larger than the right by nearly a foot. The asymmetry makes it inclined on one side. The bottom is flat, so that the gondola can navigate in shallow water, only a few inches deep.
The iron of the gondola head, used to gain stability by counter-balancing the gondolier's weight, is a mini-map of Venice: the six strips called "pettini" (comb) represent the six "sestieri" (quarters); an additional long strip represents Giudecca Island; the double "S" bending represents the Grand Canal; on top is a stylized dogal horn and, under that, a lunette representing the
Rialto bridge.
Nowadays in Venice, it's common to see gondolas used for tourists (called "charterage gondolas", as they are hired), the gondolas for celebrations (weddings), the gondolas "da parada" (or "traghetto") for the quick crossings of the Grand Canal. Their hulls are all black thanks to pitch, which is used for waterproofing.
The upper and inside parts may have decorations in gold and colored velvets and carpets (usually red or yellow). These are the gondolas especially used for marriages or special occasions. By contrast, it seems tawdry and meaningless to see the plastic flower bouquets that sometimes adorn them.
Our find is on the
perch-home web site (look in antique seating).
It's waiting for a true collector...
Click on images for larger views
perch. has a new shipment, and so we rearrange and re-stage and play. 
The antique English chest got moved too, with a new vignette above it.
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