8 ducats for aromatics

Two hundred and eighteen blogs ago, I wrote about the unfortunate situation of the Minio brothers. Alvise, Almoro, and Francesco Minio had been sued by their brother-in-law, Leonardo Malipiero, for the 8,000 gold ducats they owed their sister Lucretia from her dowry. Lucretia's mother, Maria de Molin, had left this to Lucretia in her will, and in Venetian law, the dowry was sacrosanct.

The Minio family was extremely wealthy in property, but not in cash, so 31 years after the original suit, after Lucretia had died, her second husband was collecting interest payments on the debt.

The original suit seems to have been brought when the father of the three brothers and Lucretia, Lorenzo Minio, died in July 1532 An inventory was made of his personal possessions. This is my translation of the inventory. The several occurrences of beds suggests that this inventory was made room by room, starting with the "best" room.  I found it interesting that it was easiest to find more contemporary images for the first of the list, more difficult the further I went down the list.

Two used beds Three bolsters Two pillows One bedspread of yellow and rose cloth, old One fox coverlet backed with rose wool One red canopy One pair of sheets One cushion and one chamberpot 6 rugs, various Three painted wall panels, 19 x 8 braza One round table with bone inlay One bedside chest One painting of Our Lady, gilded, with a damascene lamp    One gilded dressing-mirror Two paintings on cloth with gold frames One black gown, man’s, old-fashioned with sleeves, trimmed with vair One gown of black cloth with sleeves, trimmed with fox One velvet belt. Two beds Two feather bolsters Two pillows One bedspread of green &yellow cloth (old, torn). One pair of cotton curtains with trim Four wall-hangings painted with greenery of various kinds, 19 x 6 Seven carpets of various kinds, baled Seven painted chests One bed One bolster One panel painted with a figure, 9 braza square One gilded dressing mirror One small painting of Our Lady, gilded.   One gilded mirror One black camel’s hair, gown, lined with black cloth One black camel’s hair gown One reddish-brown silk quilt with trimming Three small cases Four painted chests  One walnut bench Six chairs (in pieces) One wooden dining table with base  One clothes’ mannequin One bed One wool-stuffed mattress One figured cloth One brown bedspread One white cotton bedspread Seven wooden chests with the Minio coat-of-arms One small bed for the servant Four copper pots One copper pot Three copper pots One copper water box   One copper box One pair of iron fire dogs One water basin Five bowls Two frying pans Two graters and other kitchen item of little value One copper bed-warmer Four pewter bowls One pair of brass fire-dogs with iron rounds Three copper bowls One brass basin 8 chairs All these goods were estimated by Ser Alvise Brochetti personally at D105, that is 105 ducats. Note that from the above 105 ducats 21 ducats is subtracted for the tomb of Ser Lorenzo D21, that is 21 ducats. Item: for aromatics and aromatic wax, in total D8 — Computed for the above-said dowry ducats seventy-six, that is 76 ducats remaining. Tranquillus Bivilaqua C. transcribed personally * * * * * * Seventy-six ducats would not have made much of a dent in the 8,000 ducats owed.  Recall that Lorenzo Minio died in July.  They were going to need a lot of aromatics and aromatic wax for the funeral candles.

The Tenant from Naples

 In 1540, the Minio brothers--Alvise, Almoro, and Francesco-found themselves in severe financial trouble. After several years during which they were not paying their sister Lucrezia's dowry, an amount they had offered, plus not handing over the gold ducats left her in her mother's will, Lucrezia's husband, Leonardo Malipiero, brought suit on her behalf. He obtained a judgment against the brothers for more than 8,000 gold ducats. A considerable amount of Minio real estate was assessed and put up for sale at auction, including:

• a farmhouse with a burnt roof and a field, beside a river
• a vineyard and plowland near a church of S. Maria
• a run-down house at S. Margherita
• three 4-room workers' flats at S. Zane Bragola, valued at 240 ducats.
• a palazzo at S. Zulian, valued at 1300 ducats.
• the family palazzo on the campo at S. Moritzio, valued at 1100 ducats.

The auctions did not go well, and Leonardo was given the rents for the interim. The brothers rented a floor in the S. Moritzio palazzo for themselves. S. Zulian was rented to a Misser Zuam Thomaso from Naples for two years for 55 ducats a year. Zuam Thomaso got a very good deal as this was 25 ducats less than the 80-ducat rent of 3 years earlier. The lease specified--this is important--that the owners would supply beds, ironmongery, keys, and window glass. Zuam Thomaso left at the end of his lease in 1540, and the S. Zulian house was then rented to Ser Antonio Stampa, also from Naples. The rent was due every four months.

For that reason, it was four months before Leonardo noticed that there was no rent from S. Zulian . He sent his agent, Ser Baptista di Antonio, to inquire. Ser Baptista reported back on 8 July 1540 that Ser Antonio Stampa from Naples was missing. This is what was missing with him:

• the door of the inner staircase with its ironmongery.
• the glass from the veranda windows on the inner court
• the glass from two windows beside the small door on the mezzanine
• the firebox from the small room by the door on the mezzanine
• a shelf and two glass windows from the kitchen
• all the glass from the ground floor windows onto the courtyard.
• the trundle bed from under the great bed in the upper chamber
• all the bedding from the two upper chambers
• the keys for the bedrooms and the storerooms
• the keys for the back door, the mezzanine door, the office, and the great door.

Those of us who have had tenants will know how he felt.

Over the next few years, Almoro left Venice, Leonardo died, Lucrezia remarried, Francesco and Alvise died, Lucrezia died. In 1561, 31 years after the original judgment in the case, Alvise's son Oratio was still paying Lucrezia's second husband, Agustin Ferro, interest on the dowry.