Inscription

This page contains information about a typical Venetian inscriptions

For a list of inscriptions, see Inscriptions.

An inscription can go by many names in Italian, inscrizione and lapidi being amongst the many common names, are engraved writings carved, etched or pressed onto a hard, durable surface such as stone, metal, wood, or the walls of buildings. Because the intention for inscriptions is to last for a very long time, they usually carry messages considered important enough to preserve. They are also often found in public spaces as the creators deemed it important for everyone to see.

Background

When the Venetians founded the city in the fifth century, Venice's canals already existed, but were further developed when maritime trade became much more prevalent in the ninth through the 12th centuries. The boats have always served as the main mode of transportation among Venice and its surrounding islands. Many of these canals are decorated with inscriptions, each one documenting various bits of history, including political views, religious views, laws, and acts of vandalism or graffiti. The authors of the inscriptions have a mix of languages, as some wrote in the general language and others in the vernacular language. The canals were a popular place for inscriptions, as many inscription writers intended for them to be visible to everyone.

Messages

As inscriptions host so much information there are common tags and categories across them all. Some of these tags include...

References

Venetian Inscriptions: Vernacular Writing for Public Display in Medieval and Renaissance Venice. Ronnie Ferguson. Italian Perspectives 50. Cambridge: Legenda, 2021. x + 424 pp. £80.