BUCINTORO and Piran‘s pearls of Venetian heritage

The opportunity to borrow the exceptional model of the last Bucintoro, the work of master Ivan Ceschin and his collaborators, from the Historya laboratory in Conegliano, inspired us to conceive a much larger exhibition and to present some gems of the Venetian heritage of Piran. During the preparations, we also learned about the existence of precious artifacts belonging to our friend, collector, and expert on Venetian maritime heritage, Giorgio Suppiej.

 

Some of the artistic, cultural-historical, and literary gems of the Venetian legacy in Piran, presented to the public for the first time and preserved in our museum, highlight the importance and grandeur of the Serenissima’s five-century-long dominion.

 

Crowning the exhibition is the splendid model of the last Bucintoro—the Doge’s galley for solemn public celebrations—created by master Ivan Ceschin and his Historya Venice workshop in Conegliano in 2021. This imposing 1:25 scale model faithfully reproduces the famous 18th-century Bucintoro. The Bucintoro was the Doge’s official parade ship, used mainly during the Festa della Sensa (Ascension Day), on the occasion of the famous Wedding of the Sea: a solemn ritual in which the Doge, representing the Venetian state, cast a gold ring into the sea to seal the eternal union between Venice and the Adriatic.

 

The first Bucintoro was launched in 1311. Over the centuries, several more were built, each more lavish than the previous. The last version—the most magnificent of all—was completed in 1729: a true floating work of art, richly decorated with carvings, gilding, and allegorical statues.

 

The last Wedding of the Sea took place in 1796. Two years later, in 1798, the Bucintoro was destroyed by retreating Napoleonic troops following the order to disable Venetian ships under the Treaty of Campoformio. Thus ended the story of the vessel that for centuries symbolized the power, wealth, and unbreakable bond between Venice and its sea.

 

The exhibition also displays some previously unseen Piranese gems from the Venetian era; paintings and various cultural-historical relics, including the very precious books of the old Piran City Library, preserved in our museum.

 

The library’s origins date back to the 17th century. Today, the Biblioteca civica’s holdings are almost fully catalogued, counting 5,200 titles or 7,400 books printed between the 16th and 19th centuries. The most valuable are those published before 1800, considered true antiquarian materials: about 100 books date from the 16th century, another 100 from the 17th century, and 1,300 from the 18th century. Most are written in Italian, followed by Latin, German, and French, with some also in English, Spanish, and Slovenian. About 2,000 books were printed in Venice, the rest in other Italian and European cities.

 

From the beginning, the Biblioteca civica was conceived for a wide range of users, which explains the heterogeneity of its materials. The collection includes fiction and non-fiction books on various subjects, from philosophy, religion, social sciences, mathematics, medicine, technology, art, geography to history. Of particular interest is the collection known as Istrica, which comprises literature on local history and counts about 950 titles or 1,100 books.

 

Also exhibited is the Venetian box in the shape of a book, owned by the Maritime Museum, which contained the Parchment of Piran’s dedication to the Republic of Venice from 1283, now preserved at the Regional Archives of Koper, Piran Section, which lent it to the Maritime Museum for this occasion.

 

Visitors to the exhibition can learn more about the backgrounds of various artworks related to historical events and legends connected to Piran and Venetian heritage, such as the Battle of Salvore, which is a particularly interesting and fascinating topic.

 

In the most famous historical Venetian battle, fought in March 1177 under the command of Doge Sebastiano Ziani and with the support of Pope Alexander III, about 40 Venetian and Istrian galleys clashed with some 45 Genoese and Pisan galleys commanded by Otto, son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The imperial fleet was destroyed and Otto was captured by the Venetians.

 

The cause of the conflict was the struggle for investiture, in which Venice chose to support Pope Alexander III, also because he was a supporter of the Lombard League, against whom Frederick Barbarossa fought. The victory granted Venice unprecedented maritime supremacy and strengthened its dominant role in the Adriatic.

 

The exhibition authors are Duška Žitko, Graziella Viola, and Flavio Bonin, with external collaborators Ivan Ceschin and Giorgio Suppiej. The exhibition will be open at Palazzo Gabrielli in Piran until December 2025.

 

Simultaneously, at the former salt warehouse Monfort, the guest exhibition Historya Venice -A Journey to the Art of Restoration and Decoration will be on view until August 31, 2025. This exhibition complements the main one and presents the work of restorers and decorators from Conegliano, the creators of the Bucintoro model.

 

We look forward to your visit!