Mercaturae dicatum. Un’analisi storico-giuridica dell’apparato decorativo del Fondaco dei Tedeschi a Venezia

This essay examines the decorative apparatus of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice to explore the under-studied relationship between commercial law (ius mercatorum) and visual representation. It investigates how the decorations by Renaissance masters communicated the institutional bond between German merchants and the Venetian Republic. The study posits that the pictorial cycles served a strong self-celebratory function for both the Serenissima and the German community (natio alemana). By synthesizing recent theories on the largely lost frescoes and paintings, the essay identifies "astronomy" and "virtues" as the two central themes connecting the external façades and the internal Summer Room, ultimately framing these works as a visual celebration of the ars mercatorum.