the anthropology of venice 505
Then the doge, dressed in crimson velvet, followed him, trembling... The
area encircling the Signoria [the assembled high officials] was full of these
armed men, for fear of disturbances, which gave the city much to talk about.
nevertheless, it was said that there would be an uprising, and many avoided
going to the piazza. There were few patricians with the Signoria, nearly all
of them dressed in purple, with about eight in scarlet and others wearing
black. There were no pilgrims, as there usually are on this occasion.52The very fact that fear of rebellion manifest itself on the occasion of one
of the great annual processions is evidence of how significant Venetians
considered them. for the more usual processions, Sanudo’s logaria was
in full force. he recorded all the participants and especially noted their
dress: of the 72 patricians attending the 1519 corpus christi procession,
only 18 wore scarlet, which made a poor impression.53 he noted how the
Turkish ambassador, who witnessed the 1525 corpus christi procession,
complained that he did not like the graven images suggested by allegori-
cal floats of the laws of the old Testament and would have much pre-
ferred to watch a joust.54
Sanudo did not usually concern himself with the exegesis of these pro-
cessions, the meaning of which he took for granted. he was more con-
cerned with listing the participants and describing their dress, creating
a symbolic catalogue of honor—“his Serenity the doge, dressed in gold
brocade and wearing a corno of beautiful iridescent gold cloth”; “the Most
Serene Doge, dressed in gold and with a mantle of white-gold damask and
a corno of the same damask of white gold”; “many women were present
[at a play], showing off their rich clothing. Among them i saw the wife
of ser Zuan emo dressed in cloth of gold and over it a lightweight black
silk, as a sign of mourning, but cut so that the gold was visible. And there
were other women wearing other fashions.” The festive compagnia of the
immortali
come dressed in purple velvet trimmed with vair. Their sleeves are gath-
ered, with one red stocking and the other half-purple and half-grey. The
lord of the compagnia wears a garment of crimson two-pile fabric with open
sleeves lined with ermine; on his head is a cap of black velvet in the french
fashion, with a jewel attached.5552 Sanuto, I diarii, 8:372–73. for translation of quote, see Sanudo, Cità Excelentissima,
pp. 369–70.
53 Sanuto, I diarii, 27:404.
54 Sanuto, I diarii, 39:78.
55 Sanuto, I diarii, 56:285–86; 41:307; 19:443; 7:69. for translations of quotes, see Sanudo,
Cità Excelentissima, pp. 37–371, 83, 489, 288 respectively.