This book marks the revival
of an historic series – Profili e saggi d’Arte Veneta –  originally founded by Rodolfo Palluchini
and now edited by Giuseppe Pavanello. In “Venetian Palaces. History, Architecture
and Restorations. The 14th and 15th century”, Jan-Christoph Rössler sets
out to clear up some chronological, stylistic and typological aspects of the civic
architecture for the period in question. Through a detailed exploration of
archive documents and an in-depth critical interpretation of the buildings
themselves, the author reconstructs the histories of 26 palaces. He identifies
the patronage, changes of ownership, original appearance, alterations and
renovations up to the 19th century. In fact this was when, to use the author’s own
words, there was a period of “aesthetical retouching involving reconstructions
and re-inventions”. In the second part of the book, starting from the Palazzo
Aldioni Barbaro at San Vidal, creating an almost Ruskinian itinerary, entry
after entry, he arrives at an analysis of some of the most emblematic buildings
of the Venetian urban fabric, such as the Ca’ d’Oro or the Ca’ Foscari. The
commentary, however, is not only based on the German practice of Bauforschung (i.e. precise
surveys of the facades), but also explores the building plans, describing
changes to both structural and decorative elements. The result is not a purely
architectural history, but a history of architecture that connects with what we
might describe as the “culture of dwelling”.