The Lion in the Cage

Venice was actually quite cold in winter, but unlike Britain, every household had a fireplace, while common apartments used centralized boilers for heating.

The aristocracy and the wealthy had fireplaces too, but they were basically never used, for fear that the ash from the fire would dirty the plaster sculptures and paintings. Thus, the fireplaces became mere decorations, and even the palaces used boiler heating.

By the nineteenth century, most of Venice's once-great families had fallen into decline. They could not even afford to heat their enormous residences, so they sold them off.

Some were sold to hotels and restaurants, some to the city government. When these palaces were sold to collectors, it did not mean the buyer could dispose of them as they pleased; they had to preserve them in their original condition. The daily bills for water, electricity, and heating alone were terrifying.

At the same time, the buyer had to bear the costs of everyday wear and restoration. Faded frescoes needed restorers, fallen gold leaf had to be replaced, and broken arms on plaster statues had to be restored. It was a genuine bottomless pit, and money alone was not enough to buy materials. They also had to find specialized painters and sculptors. Hiring a master for a single job came with horrifying labor costs. When Paul Veronese first arrived in Venice, he was not yet famous. After painting The Wedding at Cana, he earned 324 Venetian gold coins, already no small income at the time.

The shrewdness of Venetian merchants still remained. One careless step, and you would fall into the traps they set. Ordinary people would at most pay luxury-goods prices for a mask from the Yiwu Small Commodities Market, but the wealthy would be swallowed alive.

François bought the palace to build a museum.