The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-01-12
The Magniflcenee Of Old yeulen +,

The Magnifcenee Of Old yenlce ,ss
The luxury and grandeur Of The IL
TUNES worn by Venetian ladies' tsaea
their origin entirely to Venetian en-
saders and commerce in the East sB1,.s
fore 1871 the ,Venetians were cam.
paratlvely simple in their attire; n
that year their Doge, tDonenicos
Selvo, married a Constantine Ducas
She brought with her Eastern costume
and Injuries, which made decp xin.sl
preston upon her supplemented ca.
temporaries in Venice; she was won't a
wash in scented water, to coyor ~ :
body with perfumes and rich unguents
and to battle her face every morniii5
with dew gathered expressly forherh3a,
her slaves. The chroniclers contemptII.
ously speak OF the orange water Sb8}
profusely use, of her perfumed rlcveasp
OF her silken vests, and of the gold stick
she made use Of to convey her food Ii
her mouth, and they attributed TO inef
judgment of God on this excessive
luxury her declining health ia
early death. Yet. could / tiieg. w
have witnessed few centuries
latter, the hold these luxlries woiiM
have, not only over the fair iona
OF Venice, but likewise over It'd
men. they would with reason have
quaked for the well-being Of thajr r..
public. The rich dresses of Venetian
ladies are well known to us all ihjtha.
canvases of Titan, Paul Veronese, and.
others; their flowing sleeves, then
jeweled head-dresses, the richness oi'i
their silks and satins, and, moreoyer.g
their long-fiowing trains, OF which
Christoforo Moro complaints shd1.
married women have exceeding long
tails to their vestments. which drag
along the ground, which thing sis
diabolical. The extravaganza 81
women in their jewelry and dress
wrought ruin on many household. and
from the sumptuary laws of latter
history we gather the extent to
which the evil had run. As an instanoe
of female eccentricity in Venice, We.
may mention the high-heeled boohi
they wore. Invented originally tdf
keep their dresses out of the mud.
these boots grew into such IN
excessive size that the solesg and!
heels were frequently over q foot
in height; consequently a. Venetian
lady had great difficulty in locomoti0a,
and required two maid servants and.
two man-servants to accompany her On
her walks as q support from falling;
and to prevent this folly and unneces:
sary expenditure frequent statutes were
passed; but, says one Government ID.
cree, '.the ladies of Venice pay but
little heed to our orders.n Into Their
baths these devotees of fashion world
throw musk. amber, aloes. mJrrh.
cedar leaves, lavender, mint. sJete.;
their pale cheeks they would rouge
with paint, and during the night they
would place slices of raw veal, which
had been soaked for several hours inr
milk, over their faces. to dispel the PAT
Tor incident on dissipation. In shoft,
hundreds of strange recipes are extantf
Tor preparing unguents to make Their
hands and feet soft, make their mails
rosy and their skin glossy. In the Pc.
elusion OF their rooms, the Venetian
ladies' gave much time to music, andto
The singing of madrigals; they took but.
little exercise, except in gondolas; they
delighted in chess, and even ine this
modest pastime their extravaganza was
unlimited, for richly-wrought gold and
silver men, set with chalcedon, jasper
md jewels, or of the finest crystal
would alone satisfy their taste. Dearly
lid they love all games of chancs, tor
many authorities tell us that in Venice
cards were first invented; tarocchi was
he favorite game, for which elegantly
designed cards were executed and
stamped, as the law demanded, with
he Senatorial permission. 1t was not
ong before the evils of gambling nlsni-
ested themselves, for q decree OF re
Council Of Ten, in 1906. prohibited
,ames of chance, the sale of cards &pd
lice, and obliged servants to denounce
heir masters who had gambling par
les in their houses. Yet this muAfs
AVE. soon been repealed. for nowhere
lid gambling 60 to greater lengths tisn
It Venice In later years; the Ridotee
md Casini of Venice were far greater
Tells than even Monaco or Homburg.
sraser's Magazine. xf u