What is a doge? A canine meme, a crypto currency, or an attempt to create a department of government efficiency? None of the above. The first real doge ruled the wealthy and thriving Republic of Venice. They ruled as first among equals. Sometimes dictatorial and controlling, the doge was eventually put in his place by rich merchants who tired of his high-handed ways. Perhaps there is a lesson in exploring the role of the doge.
Doge (pronounced “DOE-jay”) derives from the Latin word dux, meaning leader or duke. The word was later co-opted by Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, who coined the term Il Duce. Beginning in late 600s until 1797, the doge acted as head of state. Elected by nobility, the doge served until death. Although far from a democracy, Venice enjoyed a thousand years of (mostly) peaceful existence as a republic. She is fondly known as La Serenissima Repubblica, the most serene republic. Venice was admired and respected for its lack of uprisings, rebellions, and hostile takeovers. Venice was envied for its trade relations, powerful naval fleet, and prosperity.
There were about 120 doges elected to their positions throughout Venice’s history. To be chosen as Doge of the Republic of Venice was a good thing. The doge was a recognized power in Europe and the East. He was respected and honored by his citizens. The doge dressed distinctively with his strange looking pointed cap, luxurious clothing, and lived in the ducal palace. The corno ducale, or Doge’s hat, was hand-made by nuns in a Venetian convent.
Early in the city’s history the doge had unlimited power and ruled more like a monarchy. Many families were poised to ensure their son or relative could claim the title, resulting in violence with more than one doge overthrown by another. Their powers were put in check as Venice’s influence in the Mediterranean grew and their economy prospered. Merchants, rich from trading in the East, wanted their voice heard in decision-making. Slowly and without unrest, Venice shifted from a near monarchy to a republic, transferring power from one person to ruling councils.
A profile of one doge tells us something about leadership, its constraints, and benefits. Leonardo Loredan, elected as doge at the spry age of 64, ruled for twenty years. Unlike Florence and the Medici, Venice shied away from autocratic rule by one family. In fact, there are few, if any, Venetian family names that would come to mind in popular history. The submission of the individual to the state was purposeful. Hero worship was frowned upon. Public memorials to individuals were exceptionally rare. Venetian political systems contained checks and balances against family power and especially against hereditary power.
Of the entire Venetian population, only males belonging to the approximately 150 noble families elected the doge and participated in governing. Numbering about 2,000, they formed a Greater Council, or Maggior Consiglio, and were a very rough equivalent to parliament or congress. They elected members of smaller committees and councils that were the decision-makers running the republic. Other Italian city-states suffered from in-fighting amongst powerful rich families. The Venetian constitution prevented such violence and unrest. Only a small fraction of the population elected the doge, however, even though the doge was a member of the elite, his elevation to head of state did not give him unlimited power.
Loredan’s family were rich merchants trading in the Levant and Africa. He became a lawyer and began his political career early in life. Doge Loredan began his term at the beginning of the sixteenth century, in 1501. In that same year Michelangelo arrived in Florence and began carving his immense marble David. Leonardo da Vinci, also in Florence, worked on multiple religious paintings. Doge Loredan managed several conflicts during his tenure and territorial disputes with popes, expansion of Venetian territory inland, threats from the Habsburgs, and built alliances with the French. Known as cunning and politically savvy, he was astute in foreign affairs and diplomacy. Loredan was heralded as one of the greatest doges when he died.
As doge, the public image in portraits and regalia worn in ceremonies acted as a primary means to convey authority and the near-sacred nature of his role. At the turn of the century in Venice Giovanni Bellini was the most famous painter and sought-after to honor the doge with a portrait.
Doge portraits were typically serious and convey the dignity and power of the office. Depicted in trappings of ermine lined cloaks and silk fabrics, they remain stoic and emotionless. They rarely engage with the viewer, instead looking into the distance. Giovanni Bellini’s portrait of Doge Loredan in London’s National Gallery hits the mark. A richly woven white silk damask mantle with gold and silver thread takes up nearly one-third of the painting. Large ornamental gold buttons give a vertical axis to the portrait, directing the eye to his face.
Loredan sits behind a ledge to which Bellini has added his signature, neatly painted on a faux piece of paper. The bust length structure of the portrait finds inspiration in ancient marble portraits of emperors. The structure also separates the doge from the viewer, as a reminder that he is first among equals. Bellini’s oil medium on panel softens the austerity of the pose with gentle lighting from the left. He masterfully creates realistic folds in the garment with light playing off the gold and silver threads. Loredan’s mature, slightly creased face, and blue eyes appear stern with a thoughtful gaze towards something the viewer cannot see. The corno ducale sits atop his head with a structured, curved horn, which is uniquely Venetian, and worn only by the doge. Bellini has used the most expensive pigment for the background, ultramarine blue or lapis lazuli. His elegant portrait conveys a doge with wisdom, wrinkles, and power.
In spite of their title, luxurious palace, and trappings of regal clothing, in reality the doge had little direct power. He could not issue proclamations or executive decisions. He could not decide on his own to make laws or wage war. Restricted by the constitution, Doge Loredan, like all other doges, fulfilled a largely ceremonial role. The real substance of governing laid in the hands of the councils and committees. No doge could side step the workings of government to do as he pleased. He was reminded frequently of the constitutional requirements and limitations of his office. So much so that all the rules and restrictions on his power were read out loud to him every two months, as required by law, lest he forget.
Sources
Brown, Patricia Fortini. Private Lives in Renaissance Venice: Art, Architecture and the Family. Yale University Press. 2004.
Humfrey, Peter. Painting in Renaissance Venice. Yale University Press. 1995.
Nichols, Tom. Renaissance Art in Venice: From Tradition to Individualism. Laurence King, 2016.
Romano, Denis. Venice: The Remarkable History of the Lagoon City. Oxford University Press, 2024.