/https%3A%2F%2Ftf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffiler_public%2F16%2F9a%2F169a0bcd-b05e-45e1-bc57-3ebd2d8de019%2Fart.jpg?w=696&resize=696,0&ssl=1 "Two Great Empires Engaged in Trade for Wealth and Fostered a Remarkable Cultural Exchange")
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A new show illuminates the rich artistic wonders that arose out of the 400 years of commerce between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire
April/May 2025
Portrait of Doge Cristoforo Moro (ruler of Venice from 1462-1471), attributed to Lazzaro Bastiani; Ottoman-inspired fabric by 20th-century textile designer Mariano Fortuny. Civic Museums Foundation of Venice – Correr Museum (2)
Over the course of four centuries, the Eastern Mediterranean witnessed a complex relationship between the two powerful entities: the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire. Though the two countries waged seven wars against each other, they also engaged in extensive trade and cultural exchange during periods of peace.
Trinita Kennedy, co-curator of the traveling exhibition “Venice and the Ottoman Empire,” notes the pragmatic mindset of the Venetians, who sought to thrive economically through trade. The Ottomans, in turn, were rich in spices and luxury goods, making them invaluable trading partners.
The exhibition showcases around 150 pieces of art from Venice’s civic museums, coupled with artifacts retrieved from the sunken Venetian merchant ship Gagliana Grossa, which sank in 1583 while heading to Istanbul. The ship was laden with 5,000 panes of glass intended for the sultan’s palace. Collectively, these works illustrate a dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship. The Ottomans contributed not just to commerce but also to a vibrant cultural exchange that ignited artistic creativity within the Venetian Republic. A sentiment echoed by a Venetian envoy who remarked, “being merchants, we cannot live without them.”
Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan, Vittore Carpaccio, tempera and oil on panel, 1501-05. Civic Museums Foundation of Venice – Correr Museum
Doge Francesco Morosini Offers Venice the Reconquered Morea, Gregorio Lazzarini, oil on canvas, 1694-95. Civic Museums Foundation of Venice – Correr Museum
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www.smithsonianmag.com