[MANUSCRIT] - Lot 8

[MANUSCRIT] Republic of Venice 17th century Important register of the guild of craftsmen and merchants of the Republic of Venice (Fraglia degli artigiani e mercanti), containing copies of letters addressed to its correspondents in various cities and towns of the Old Italian states, between September 1673 and May 1675. The pages are sewn into quires in a parchment-covered cardboard binding, on which appears the much-rubbed and partially illegible inscription: "Coppie di lettere - Fraglia", in black ink with initials in red ink. The binding bears on the bottom of the first cover a cross with two crossbars, known as the Lorraine cross (formerly the Greek cross), as the corporation was placed under the patronage of the Church of the Republic of Venice. The register comprises 314 folio pages, written on both sides, with pages 1 to 18 missing, making a total of 592 handwritten pages. Transcribed letters are preceded by the addressee's name and place of residence. Note. - In 17th-century Venice, the most important guilds were those of painters and gondoliers (Fraglia dei pittori and Fraglia dei gondolieri ).