Corno ducale

Last updated
Corno ducale
Venice - Doge's Corno.jpg
Heraldic depictions
Doge's Crown.svg
Details
Country Most Serene Republic of Venice

The corno ducale (Italian for 'ducal horn'), a unique ducal hat, was the headgear and symbol of the Doge of Venice. It was a stiff horn-like bonnet, which was made of gemmed brocade or cloth-of-gold and worn over a camauro . The ducal horn was a fine linen cap with a structured peak at the back reminiscent of the Phrygian cap, a classical symbol of liberty.

Contents

Every Easter Monday, the doge headed a procession from St. Mark's basilica to the convent of St. Zechariah's church, where the abbess presented him with a new camauro crafted by the nuns.

Origins

The origin of the design is uncertain. Venice was heavily influenced by the Orient through trade and cultural exchange. This ceremonial headdress shares similarities with the Phrygian cap or the white crown of Upper Egypt. [1] When Venice was still part of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, high-ranking Byzantine soldiers stationed in Venice also wore a headdress reminiscent of the horned Phrygian cap. [2] The first recorded mention of the corno is from the 12th century, although it is possible that the doges already wore similar hats before then.

Heraldry

In heraldry, a distinction is made between the doge hat of the Republic of Venice and the doge hat of the Republic of Genoa. From the end of the 18th century, this emblem of rank and dignity was only occasionally carried on in the arms of Venetian noble families (Vendramin, Sagredo, Giustiniani). [3] [4] [5]

The corno was also used as a crest on the coat of arms of the Doge.

Due to a special Italian Presidential decree, the coat of arms of the modern-day city of Venice features the corno. It replaces the mural crown that is present on the coat of arms of other Italian cities.

Election

The Venetian Doges were appointed for life by the city-state's aristocracy. The hat was presented to the doge on the day of his election. It was placed on his head by the youngest member of the Great Council, with the following address: "Accipe coronam ducalem, Ducatus Venetiarum" ("Receive the ducal crown, Doge of Venice"). The doge then wears this horned cap in all circumstances where the dignity and power of the Republic are expressed, in particular on Easter day and during the feast of the Ascension, for the Marriage of the Sea ceremony.

History

Due to its particular shape, the corno ducale is a very recognisable symbol of the Most Serene Republic. The cap is featured in countless works of art.

In the Venetian language, the ducal horn is called zoia, literally "jewel". The rear point in the shape of a curved horn giving the cap its name is mentioned in the 13th century during the reign of Reniero Zeno (r.1253–1268). In this description the headdress is made of crimson velvet, with a gold circle around its perimeter. A golden cross is added to it by the doge Lorenzo Celsi (r.1361–1365). Another transformation of the zoia occurs in the 15th century when the doge Nicolo Marcello (r.1473–1474) had one made in gold. [6]

The horn disappeared along with the dogal institution in 1797, after the capture of Venice by Napoleon Bonaparte and the abdication of Ludovico Manin, the last doge.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doge of Venice</span> Chief magistrate of Venetian Republic

The Doge of Venice sometimes translated as Duke, was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 and 1797.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doge's Palace</span> Art museum and historic site in Venice, Italy

The Doge's Palace is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice. It was built in 1340 and extended and modified in the following centuries. It became a museum in 1923 and is one of the 11 museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crescent</span> Symbol of a lunar phase

A crescent shape is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter, or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phrygian cap</span> Soft conical cap with the top pulled forward

The Phrygian cap or liberty cap is a soft conical cap with the apex bent over, associated in antiquity with several peoples in Eastern Europe and Anatolia, including the Persians, the Medes and the Scythians, as well as in the Balkans, Dacia, Thrace and in Phrygia, where the name originated. The oldest depiction of the Phrygian cap is from Persepolis in Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Argentina</span> Coat of arms of Argentina

The coat of arms of the Argentine Republic or Argentine shield was established in its current form in 1944, but has its origins in the seal of the General Constituent Assembly of 1813. It is supposed that it was chosen quickly because of the existence of a decree signed on February 22 sealed with the symbol. The first mention of it in a public document dates to March 12 of that same year, in which it is stated that the seal had to be used by the executive power, that is, the second triumvirate. On April 13 the National Assembly coined the new silver and gold coins, each with the seal of the assembly on the reverse, and on April 27 the coat of arms became a national emblem. Although the coat of arms is not currently shown on flags, the Buenos Aires-born military leader Manuel Belgrano ordered to paint it over the flag he gave to the city of San Salvador de Jujuy, and during the Argentine War of Independence most flags had the coat of arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Colombia</span>

The coat of arms of Colombia contains a shield with numerous symbols. Perched on top of the shield is an Andean condor holding an olive crown and the condor symbolizing freedom. The national motto, Libertad y Orden, is on a scroll in between the bird and the shield in black font over golden background. The condor is depicted as displayed and looking to the right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Venice</span> Sovereign state in Italy (697–1797)

The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic, traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and maritime republic in parts of the present-day Italian Republic that existed for 1,100 years from 697 until 1797. Centered on the lagoon communities of the prosperous city of Venice, it incorporated numerous overseas possessions in modern Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Greece, Albania and Cyprus. The republic grew into a trading power during the Middle Ages and strengthened this position during the Renaissance. Most citizens spoke the Venetian language, although publishing in Italian became the norm during the Renaissance, alongside Latin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Zaccaria, Venice</span> 15th-century former monastic church in central Venice, Italy

The Church of San Zaccaria is a 15th-century former monastic church in central Venice, Italy. It is a large edifice, located in the Campo San Zaccaria, just off the waterfront to the southeast of Piazza San Marco and St Mark's Basilica. It is dedicated to St. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camauro</span> Cap worn by the pope

A camauro is a cap traditionally worn by the pope, the head of the Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludovico Manin</span> Doge of Venice from 1789 to 1797

Ludovico Giovanni Manin was a Venetian politician, patrician, and the 120th and last Doge of Venice. He governed the Venetian Republic from 9 March 1789 until its fall in 1797, when he was forced to abdicate by Napoleon Bonaparte.

<i>Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan</i> Painting by Giovanni Bellini

The Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan is a painting by Italian Renaissance master Giovanni Bellini, dating from c. 1501–02. It portrays Leonardo Loredan, the Doge of Venice from 1501 to 1521, in his ceremonial garments with the corno ducale worn over a linen cap, and is signed IOANNES BELLINVS on a cartellino. It is on display in the National Gallery in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Dolfin</span> Doge of Venice from 1356 to 1361

Giovanni Dolfin, also known as Giovanni Delfino or Delfin, was the fifty-seventh doge of the Republic of Venice, appointed on 13 August 1356. Despite his value as a general, during his reign Venice lost Dalmatia. He was blinded in one eye after a wound received in battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silvestro Valier</span>

Silvestro Valier or Valiero was the 109th Doge of Venice, reigning from his election on 25 February 1694 until his death six years later. The Morean War between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire, which had been ongoing since 1684, came to an end during Valier's reign as Doge, in January 1699.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lion of Saint Mark</span> Symbol of Mark the Evangelist

The Lion of Saint Mark, representing Mark the Evangelist, pictured in the form of a winged lion, is an aspect of the Tetramorph. On the pinnacle of St Mark's Cathedral he is depicted as holding a Bible, and surmounting a golden lion which is the symbol of the city of Venice and formerly of the Venetian Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minor Council</span>

The Minor Council or Ducal Council was one of the main constitutional bodies of the Republic of Venice, and served both as advisors and partners to the Doge of Venice, sharing and limiting his authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbarigo family</span>

The Barbarigo were a patrician, noble Venetian family, whose members had an important role in the history of the Republic of Venice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabetta Querini</span> Dogaress of Venice

Elisabetta Querini was the Dogaressa of Venice by marriage to the Doge Silvestro Valier.

A national coat of arms is a symbol which denotes an independent state in the form of a heraldic achievement. While a national flag is usually used by the population at large and is flown outside and on ships, a national coat of arms is normally considered a symbol of the government or the head of state personally and tends to be used in print, on armorial ware, and as a wall decoration in official buildings. The royal arms of a monarchy, which may be identical to the national arms, are sometimes described as arms of dominion or arms of sovereignty.

The promissione ducale was an oath of office sworn by the incoming Doge of Venice. It contained not only an oath of allegiance to the Republic of Venice, but also spelled out the constitutional limitations to the Doge's power, which he swore to abide by.

<i>Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan</i> (Carpaccio) Painting by Vittore Carpaccio

The Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Vittore Carpaccio, a painter of the Venetian School and student of Gentile Bellini. The latter also painted a portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan. It was most likely painted around 1501/02, at the beginning of Loredan's reign. The painting was restored in 2003 with funding from Mara and Chuck Robinson in honour of Prof. W. R. Rearick, and it is now displayed in the Museo Correr in Venice.

References

  1. Sharpe, Samuel (1863). Egyptian Mythology and Egyptian Christianity, with their modern influence on the opinions of modern Christendom. London: J.R. Smith. pp. xi. ISBN   9781497873087.
  2. Pazzi, Piero (1996). Il Corno ducale; o sia, Contributi alla conoscenza della corona ducale di Venezia volgarmente chiamata Corno[On the ducal horn, emblem and insignia of the Doge of Venice] (in Italian). Treviso: Istituto di Vigilanza Compiano.
  3. "Heraldik". Lexikon des gesamten Buchwesens Online. doi:10.1163/9789004337862__com_080535 . Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  4. Gritzner, Maximilian (2012). Großes und allgemeines Wappenbuch. Bremen. p. 184. ISBN   978-3-95507-686-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. Oswald, Gert (1984). Lexikon der Heraldik. Mannheim: Bibliographisches Institut, Mannheim. p. 100. ISBN   3-411-02149-7.
  6. Laugier, Marc-Antoine (1758). Histoire de la république de Venise. Paris: N.B. Duchesne. p. 21.