VENETIAN INDEX¹

EXPLANATORY NOTE

IN the Venetian Index, I have named every building of importance in the city of Venice itself, or near it; supplying, for the convenience of the traveller, short notices of those to which I had no occasion to allude in the text of the work; and making the whole as complete a guide as I could, with such added directions as I should have given to any private friend visiting the city. As, however, in many cases, the opinions I have expressed differ widely from those usually received; and, in other instances, subjects which may be of much interest to the traveller, have not come within the scope of my inquiry; the reader had better take Lazari’s small Guide² in his hand also, as he will find in it both the information I have been unable to furnish, and the expression of most of the received opinions upon any subject of art.

Various inconsistencies will be noticed in the manner of indicating the buildings, some being named in Italian, some in English, and some half in one, and half in the other. But these inconsistencies are permitted in order to save trouble, and make the Index more practically useful. For instance, I believe the traveller will generally look for “Mark,” rather than for “Marco,” when he wishes to find the reference to St. Mark’s Church; but I think he will look for Rocco, rather than for Roch, when he is seeking for the account of the Scuola di San Rocco. So also I have altered the character in which the titles of the plates are printed, from the black letter in the first volume, to the plain Roman in the second and third;³ finding

¹ [In eds. 1-3 (i.e. in all those which preceded the publication in 1886 of the new index by Mr. Wedderburn, see Vol. IX. pp. liv., lviii.), the heading and first few introductory lines were different, thus:-

“Indices.

I. Personal Index. III. Topical Index.

II. Local Index. IV. Venetian Index.

The first of the following Indices contains the names of persons; the second those of places (not in Venice) alluded to in the body of the work. The third Index consists of references to the subjects touched upon. In the fourth, called the Venetian Index, I have named...”]

² [See Vol. X. p. 59 n.; the book has long been out of print and is now scarce.]

³[The “black letter” in the first volume was retained in all the editions (1-4) of the original size in which the original Plates were used. A specimen of it is preserved in this edition in Plate XX. of vol. i. (Vol. IX. p. 425), which also is printed from the original Plate.]

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[Version 0.04: March 2008]