Nicolas of Frankfurt, a German in Venice in 1473-1524
Type de matériel :
TexteLangue : français Détails de publication : 2014.
Sujet(s) : Ressources en ligne : Abrégé : Nicolas of Frankfurt (who died in 1524) was a German printer and publisher who began his activity in Venice in 1473, shortly after the first book was printed in the city in 1469 by John of Spire. By analyzing his life and career in Venice, we try to gain a better understanding of the printing industry between the end of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the sixteenth century. Thanks to the great variety of sources—contracts, wills, judicial sources, epigraphy. . .—, we also aim to understand how foreign craftsmen were able to integrate into Venetian society. As a German printer and publisher, Nicolas of Frankfurt is not a major figure in the history of printing. But he joined some lucrative and lasting associations within the German community in Venice and with other printers. Testimonies of his life in Venice also show that he tried to become integrated by other means and beyond the printing community. He participated in numerous confraternities or scuole, which was an important socialization tool in Venetian society. He also married the daughter of a glassblower from Murano and his daughter married a Venetian spice merchant. Finally, he made some investments in Venice real estate and in the Venetian Terra Ferma. His choices and alliances reveal some of the mechanisms of integration for a foreign craftsman in Venice, despite the sometimes ambiguous attitude of Venetian authorities. With this example, we try to show that foreign craftsmen, non-Italian as well as non-Venetian Italians, had tools to build themselves a stable socio-economic situation in the city, by using resources from their national community and by becoming an actor within Venetian social life.
84
Nicolas of Frankfurt (who died in 1524) was a German printer and publisher who began his activity in Venice in 1473, shortly after the first book was printed in the city in 1469 by John of Spire. By analyzing his life and career in Venice, we try to gain a better understanding of the printing industry between the end of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the sixteenth century. Thanks to the great variety of sources—contracts, wills, judicial sources, epigraphy. . .—, we also aim to understand how foreign craftsmen were able to integrate into Venetian society. As a German printer and publisher, Nicolas of Frankfurt is not a major figure in the history of printing. But he joined some lucrative and lasting associations within the German community in Venice and with other printers. Testimonies of his life in Venice also show that he tried to become integrated by other means and beyond the printing community. He participated in numerous confraternities or scuole, which was an important socialization tool in Venetian society. He also married the daughter of a glassblower from Murano and his daughter married a Venetian spice merchant. Finally, he made some investments in Venice real estate and in the Venetian Terra Ferma. His choices and alliances reveal some of the mechanisms of integration for a foreign craftsman in Venice, despite the sometimes ambiguous attitude of Venetian authorities. With this example, we try to show that foreign craftsmen, non-Italian as well as non-Venetian Italians, had tools to build themselves a stable socio-economic situation in the city, by using resources from their national community and by becoming an actor within Venetian social life.




Réseaux sociaux