Throughout its existence as a bustling center of seafaring 
and trade, Venice has loomed large in maritime history. Its 
location, governmental policies, and the skills of its citizens 
made Venice a dominant military power and a major player in 
international trade by the Middle Ages. Yet little is known of 
what made that military and trade prowess possible - the early 
seagoing vessels of Venice. Remains of its ships and boats are 
few, and written records are rare. Excavations in the region 
have revealed only a few small boats, two merchant ships, and a 
galley, yet this limited sample of the ships and boats of 
Venice offers a base on which to build.
    

Artistic representations provide distinctive clues to the past 
that are not available elsewhere. Drawing on material from 
several disciplines, The Art and Archaeology of Venetian Ships 
and Boats combines lively discussions of art and history with 
scientific scholarship. Here, nautical archaeologist Lillian Ray 
Martin has collected representations of ships and boats in 
medieval and early Renaissance art from museums, churches, 
libraries, and public buildings of Venice and the surrounding 
region. After outlining her method of study, Martin presents a 
brief history of Venetian art, inextricably linked to the 
history of the area, and then carefully catalogues each known 
piece of Venetian art that depicts watercraft. She includes such 
information as the title, artist, date, location, types of 
watercraft shown, and a comprehensive description of each piece.
 
   
Martin combines archaeological, documentary, and iconographic 
evidence to paint a more accurate picture of Venetian watercraft, 
making The Art and Archaeology of Venetian Ships and Boats the 
most complete compilation of the sources available today. More than 
150 illustrations, including representations from paintings, 
sculptures, frescoes, mosaics, engravings, manuscript illuminations, 
and more, enhance the book.


The Art and Archaeology of Venetian Ships and Boats reveals 
important facts about the construction, rigging, and sailing of 
Venetian watercraft, shedding new light on the history of Venetian 
seafaring and the resulting economic and political relations 
Venice had with the Byzantine and European worlds.


_________________________________________________________

LILLIAN RAY MARTIN, who has a degree in art history and European 
studies from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, earned her 
master's degree in nautical archaeology at Texas A&M University. 
She has worked as an archaeologist and photographer at many 
underwater and land excavations since 1981, including the Bronze 
Age shipwreck at Uluburun, Turkey, as well as sites in the 
Dominican Republic, Holland, Greece, Cyprus, and the Turks and 
Caicos Islands. She lives in Austin, Texas.


Number Five: Studies in Nautical Archaeology