Palazzo Mastelli del Cammello

Palazzo Mastelli del Cammello is a Gothic palace in Venice, Italy. It is located in Cannaregio district, on the Campo dei Mori and the Rio Madonna dell'Orto.

Palazzo Mastelli del Cammello
Palazzo Mastelli del Cammello
General information
TypeResidential
Architectural styleGothic
AddressCannaregio district
Town or cityVenice
CountryItaly
Coordinates45°26′46″N 12°19′56″E
Construction started12th century
Construction stopped14th century
Technical details
Floor count3 levels

History

The building formerly belonged to three silk and spices merchant brothers (Rioba, Sandi, and Afani), who relocated from the Peloponnese to Venice around 1112 and then adopted the name Mastelli. They are traditionally associated with four statues of the three Moors and their servant on the Campo dei Mori. The initial construction of the palace dates back to the 12th century.[1]

Architecture

The palazzo facade has three levels and is covered with gray stucco. The gound floor has a water portal flanked by lancet and arched windows. At the bottom right, there is a small fountain made in Arabian style, that, until a few years ago, was used to drink water while staying on the boat or gondola.[2] The first noble floor has a trifora flanked by pairs of side windows. On its right side, the level is decorated with a bas-relef representing a turbaned man pulling a laden camel.[3][4][5] It is this sculpture that gives its name del cammello to the palace. The level also has two paterae, one of them depicting a peacock. The left side window has a bit of Roman altar serving as a thick corner column.[6] The second noble floor has a Gothic hexafora supported by a balcony on corbels and flanked by single-light side openings, also with balconies. The left balcony goes around the corner of the building. Quatrefoils, two of them irregular, decorate the top part of the hexafora.

The cornice is supported by small dentils decorated with animal heads. In the middle part of the roof there is a large dormer window. The windows, door frames, balconies, corbels, balusters, cornice, quatrefoils, and the relief of the camel are made of Istrian stone.

  • Sculpture of the camel that gave its name to the palace.
  • Side window of the first noble floor, photo by Paolo Monti
  • Quatrefoiled hexafora on the top floor, photo by Paolo Monti
  • Side window, photo by Paolo Monti
  • The Moor with the long hair
  • The Moor with the scarf
  • Rioba : The Moor with the Iron Nose
  • Statue of servant

References
  1. "Palazzo Mastelli detto "Del Cammello"". Evenice - Il portale degli eventi a Venezia (in Italian). 23 January 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  2. "Palazzo Mastelli". Hotel Heureka Venice. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  3. Venice. Somerset Books. 1980. p. 144. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  4. Sepeda, Toni (2011). Brunetti's Venice: Walks Through the Novels. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4464-7495-2. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  5. Pilling, Mq (2009). The Ensign's Wife. iUniverse. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-4401-7716-3. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  6. Buckley, Jonathan (2004). The Rough Guide to Venice & the Veneto. Rough Guides. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-84353-302-3. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
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