910 margaret f. rosenthal
cloths in the Dutch style, in demand by levantine clients.61 Wool was
either re-exported or processed by Venetian manufacturers.62 the mar-
ket demand eventually for lighter wools gave way in the 16th century to
the beret and knitting industry.63 Verona and Padua were noted for their
stockings and berets. Venetians, however, always had to be careful that
the exporting of local textiles did not compete with foreign fabrics in the
places where they were sent.
already by the mid-15th century, protectionism on all Venetian wool
production was backed by protectionist measures.64 Following plague or
war, Venice shortened the period of residency required to obtain citizen-
ship, so that drapers and wool manufacturers could open workshops at the
rialto, load their merchandise on ships, and trade directly with foreign-
ers without Venetian intermediaries. only the Fondaco dei tedeschi—the
german trading house in Venice—continued to have a permanent trad-
ing place in Venice despite stringent legislation, and it remained the sole
prerogative of Venetian merchants even though genoa and milan tried to
gain some portion of this commercial traffic.65 Finally in 1558, the senate
ruled that only original citizens could trade in woolen and silk fabrics
because, they argued, too many foreigners had become wealthy textile
producers while working and living in Venice. the government reviewed
annually just how much imported wool should be sold to foreigners and
how much instead should be reserved for Venetian artisans.66 From the
late 15th century there were increased supplies of local raw materials and
an abundance of imported wools. this meant that the Venetian state
was able to meet internal and external demand by means of diversified
production. the guilds also attempted to discipline the new arrivals with
greater rigor.
levantine clients frequented Venetian and italian markets after 1530 in
search of Florentine and lombard cloth and therefore the Venetian wool
61 mozzatto, “the Production of Woolens,” pp. 52, 75; Demo, “Wool and silk,” p. 228.
62 mozzatto, “the Production of Woolens,” p. 76; molà, Silk Industry, pp. 58–88.
63 on market demand for lighter wools, see Demo, “Wool and silk,” p. 222. the knitting
“revolution” during the 16th century gradually took the place of clothes traditionally made
of woven cloth. Knitted hosiery, for example, was a ready-to-wear item that did not have
to rely on a tailor’s skill. see Carlo marco Belfanti, “hosiery manufacturing in the Venetian
republic 16–18 Centuries,” in lanaro, ed., At the centre of the Old World, p. 274.
64 mozzatto, “the Production of Woolens, pp. 52, 99.
65 Crouzet Pavan, Venice Triumphant, pp. 121–22; mozzato, “the Production of
Woolens,” pp. 87–88.
66 molà, The Silk Industry, pp. 153–57; mozzato, “the Production of Woolens,” p. 89.