"Essendo molto vecchio, e quasi rovinoso el Palazzo sopra la piazza, fo
deliberato di far quella parte tutta da novo, et continuarla com' è
quella della Sala grande, et cosi il Lunedi 27 Marzo 1424 fu dato
principio a ruinare detto Palazzo vecchio dalla parte, ch' è verso
panateria cioè della Giustizia, ch' è nelli occhi di sopra le colonne
fino alla Chiesa et fo fatto anco la porta grande, com' è al presente,
con la sala che si addimanda la Libraria."[61]
We have here all the facts told us in so many words: the "old palace" is
definitely stated to have been "on the piazza," and it is to be rebuilt
"like the part of the great saloon." The very point from which the newer
buildings commenced is told us; but here the chronicler has carried his
attempt at accuracy too far. The point of junction is, as stated above,
at the third pillar beyond the medallion of Venice; and I am much at a
loss to understand what could have been the disposition of these three
pillars where they joined the Ziani Palace, and how they were connected
with the arcade of the inner cortile. But with these difficulties, as
they do not bear on the immediate question, it is of no use to trouble
the reader.
The next passage I shall give is from a Chronicle in the Marcian
Library, bearing title, "Supposta di Zancaruol;" but in which I could
not find the passage given by Cadorin from, I believe, a manuscript of
this Chronicle at Vienna. There occurs instead of it the following thus
headed:--
"Come _la parte nova_ del Palazzo fuo hedificata _novamente_.
"El Palazzo novo de Venesia quella parte che xe verso la Chiesia de S.
Marcho fuo prexo chel se fesse del 1422 e fosse pagado la spexa per li
officiali del sal. E fuo fatto per sovrastante G. Nicolo Barberigo cum
provision de ducati X doro al mexe e fuo fabricado e fatto nobelissimo.
Come fin ancho di el sta e fuo grande honor a la Signoria de Venesia e a
la sua Citta."
This entry, which itself bears no date, but comes between others dated
22nd July and 27th December, is interesting, because it shows the first
transition of the idea of _newness_, from the Grand Council Chamber to
the part built under Foscari. For when Mocenigo's wishes had been
fulfilled, and the old palace of Ziani had been destroyed, and another
built in its stead, the Great Council Chamber, which was "the new
palace" compared with Ziani's, became "the old palace" compared with
Foscari's; and thus we have, in the body of the above extract, the whole
building called "the new palace of Venice;" but in the heading of it, we
have "the new _part_ of the palace" applied to the part built by
Foscari, in contradistinction to the Council Chamber.
The next entry I give is important, because the writing of the MS. in
which it occurs, No. 53 in the Correr Museum, shows it to be probably
not later than the end of the fifteenth century:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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