The House of Grimani was a prominent Venetian patrician family, including three

Doges of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ) – in Italian, was the doge or highest role of authority within the Republic of Venice (697–1797). The word derives from the Latin , meaning 'leader', and Venetian Italian dialect for 'duke', highest official of the ...

. They were active in trade, politics and later the ownership of theatres and opera-houses.

Notable members

Notable members included: *

Antonio Grimani Antonio Grimani (28 December 1434 – 7 May 1523) was the Doge of Venice from 1521 to 1523. He had previously served as commander of the Venetian navy. Biography He was born in Venice into a relatively poor, but noble Grimani family and in his e ...

: (1434–1523), Doge 1521–1523 *

: (1557–1628), bishop of Torcello 1587–1622, Apostolic Nuncio to Florence 1605–1616, Patriarch of Aquileia 1622–1628 * Domenico Grimani: (1461–1523) son of Antonio, Cardinal and Patriarch of Aquileia, owner of the Grimani Breviary * Giovanni VI Grimani (1506–1593) nephew of Domenico, was an Italian bishop and Patriarch of Aquileia. * Marino Grimani: (1517–1529) nephew of Domenico, bishop and Patriarch of Aquileia * Vincenzo Grimani:

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

and

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

(1652–1710) * Marino Grimani: Doge 1595–1606 *

Morosina Morosini-Grimani Morosina Morosini-Grimani (1545 - January 21, 1614) was a Venetian patrician. She was the Dogaressa of Venice from 1595 to 1605. Life Morosina Morosini-Grimani was the daughter of Andrea Morosini, a wealthy Venetian patrician. She married in ...

(1545–1614) dogaressa of Venice by marriage to Doge Marino Grimani *Giovanni Grimani: translator of

Vitruvius Vitruvius ( ; ; –70 BC – after ) was a Roman architect and engineer during the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work titled . As the only treatise on architecture to survive from antiquity, it has been regarded since the Renaissan ...

*Giorgio Grimani (fl. 1728), commander of the Venetian Fleet (Latin: ''Classis Praefectus'') in 1728, as recorded on a mural monument on the defensive wall of Corfu Town built by him. *

Pietro Grimani Pietro Grimani (October 5, 1677 in Venice – March 7, 1752 in Venice) was a Venetian statesman and aristocrat who served as the 115th Doge of Venice from June 30, 1741, until his death. Grimani was born a member of the Grimani family. He w ...

, Doge 1741–1752 *

Elisabetta Grimani Elisabetta Grimani (died August 31, 1792) was the last Dogaressa of Venice by marriage to the Doge Ludovico Manin ( 1789–1797). Biography Elisabetta Grimani was the daughter of Antonio Grimani. She married Ludovico Manin on 14 September 1748. ...

(d. 1792), dogaressa 1789–1792 *

Edmund Grimani Hornby Sir Edmund Grimani Hornby (29 May 1825 – 17 November 1896) was a leading Italian United Kingdom, British judge, with family interests in diamond-rich Antwerp. He was the founder and Chief Justice, Chief Judge of both the British Supreme Consula ...

(1825–1896) Chief Judge of the British Supreme Consular Court at Constantinople and

British Supreme Court for China and Japan The British Supreme Court for China (originally the British Supreme Court for China and Japan) was a court established in the Shanghai International Settlement to try cases against British subjects in China, Japan and Korea under the principles o ...

was descended from the Grimani family on his mother's side.

Structures

The following structures are associated with the family: * Villa Gazzotti Grimani: (Vicenza, by

Palladio Andrea Palladio ( , ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be one ...

) * Palazzo Grimani: ( Grand Canal of Venice) * Palazzo Civran Grimani *Grimani Chapel:

San Francesco della Vigna San Francesco della Vigna is a Roman Catholic church in the Sestiere of Castello, Venice, Castello in Venice, northern Italy. History Along with Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, this is one of two Franciscan churches in Venice. The site, original ...

, Venice * Teatro Malibran

Art Collectors

Cardinal Domenico Grimani was a noted art collector. Many ancient sculptures were found on land the family had purchased on the

Quirinal Hill The Quirinal Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace; by metonymy "the Quirinal" has c ...

, once site of an ancient Roman bath and garden. He founded the

Venice National Archaeological Museum The National Archaeological Museum () is a museum located right on Piazza San Marco in Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 11 ...

in 1523. Bishop Giovanni Grimani, nephew of Cardinal Domenico, expanded the

Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa The Palazzo Grimani of Santa Maria Formosa is a State museum, located in Venice in the Castello district, near Campo Santa Maria Formosa. History The palace can be reached by land from Ruga Giuff(map) The water entry, very used in ancient times ...

, where he set up his refined collection of antiques, including sculptures, marbles, vases, bronzes and gems, some of which he inherited from his uncle.

The Grimani Breviary

Long in the library of

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestiere (Venice), sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Piazza San Marco, Saint Mar ...

and the

Biblioteca Marciana The Marciana Library or Library of Saint Mark (, but in historical documents commonly referred to as the ) is a public library in Venice, Italy. It is one of the earliest surviving public libraries and repositories for manuscripts in Italy and ...

, Venice, this

breviary A breviary () is a liturgical book used in Christianity for praying the canonical hours, usually recited at seven fixed prayer times. Historically, different breviaries were used in the various parts of Christendom, such as Aberdeen Breviar ...

is a key work in the late history of

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared manuscript, document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as marginalia, borders and Miniature (illuminated manuscript), miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Churc ...

s. It was produced in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

and

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

ca. 1515–1520 and by 1520 owned, though possibly not originally commissioned, by Cardinal Domenico Grimani. Several leading artists, including Simon Bening, the Master of James IV of Scotland and

Gerard David Gerard David ( – 13 August 1523) was an Early Netherlandish painter and manuscript illuminator known for his brilliant use of color. Only a bare outline of his life survives, although some facts are known. He may have been the Meester ghera ...

, contributed some of their finest work to it.

Theatre entrepreneurs

All the main Venetian theatres were owned by important patrician families; combining business with pleasure in the Italian, if not European, city with the most crowded and competitive theatrical culture. When most opera in Europe was still being put on by courts, "economic prospects and a desire for exhibitionistic display", as well a decline in their traditional overseas trading, attracted the best Venetian families to invest in the theatre during the 17th century. The Grimani were dominant, owning what is now called the Teatro Malibran, then called the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, as well as the ''San Benedetto'' theatre, and other houses. The

Venier Venier (, ) is a Venetian surname, derived from the Medieval name Venerius. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrea Venier, castellan of Scutari * Annibale Venier (born 1951), an Italian rower * Anton Venier, Austrian luger * Antonio Ve ...

s owned

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (; "The Phoenix Theatre") is a historic opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th cen ...

, still the main opera house. The Vendramin owned the important ''Teatro di San Luca'' or ''Teatro Vendramin'', founded in 1622, later renamed the ''Teatro Apollo'', and since 1875 called the '' Teatro Goldoni'', which still thrives as the city's main theatre for plays, now in a building of the 1720s. In the age of

Carlo Goldoni Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (, also , ; 25 February 1707 – 6 February 1793) was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays ...

, the greatest Venetian dramatist, only the San Luca and the Malibran still put on spoken drama, and his desertion of the Grimani for the Vendramins at San Luca in 1752 was a major event in the theatrical history of the period, ushering in perhaps his finest period, in which as well as his comedies, he played a significant role in the development of the

opera buffa Opera buffa (, "comic opera"; : ''opere buffe'') is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ''commedia in musica'', ''commedia per musica'', ''dramma bernesc ...

.Martin Banham, ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre
p. 433
1995, Cambridge University Press, The Vendramins, who had considerable direct involvement in the management of the theatre, however they did not take their involvement as far as Vincenzo Grimani, who was a cardinal and opera librettist.

Notes

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