The market in second-hand clothes and furnishings in Venice, c1500-c1650

Abstract

The object of this study is to reinstate the market in second-hand clothes and furnishings within the hi story of Venice from c.1500 to c.1650. The discussion focuses on the Venetian guild of second-hand dealers, a number of 'alternative' exchanges of used goods, and a group of Jewish second-hand dealers who became established in Venice in the early sixteenth century. Particular attention is paid to the issues of guild exclusivism and the inelasticity of craft structures within the market for used goods. There are seven chapters. Chapter 1 explores the notion that the guild of second-hand dealers was traditional1y important in the market but did not have complete control, and Chapter 2 investigates various 'alternative' exchanges coexisting with the guild. In the next three chapters, these basic structures are examined in detail and their development is charted over the period as a whole. In Chapter 3, traders within the second-hand market are considered and the new group of Jewish competitors is introduced. The craft activities of the guild members and the Jewish dealers are analysed in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5, a study is made of outlets for used goods and of their distribution within the city. The last two chapters assess the impact of two types of setbacks: outbreaks of plague, and a seventeenth-century recession in the used-goods market.