Notes: Italy

Clemente E. Ancona, “L’inventario dei beni appartenenti a Leon da Modena (prima metà del secolo XVII),” in Bolletino dell’istituto di storia dello società e dello stato veneziano 10 (1967): 258-267

From the archive of the Venetian notary Andrea Calzavara, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, register 2949, carte 54v ff.

Friday 3 April 1648 in the house inhabited by the below-mentioned Ms. Diana located in the Ghetto Nuovo of Venice

Signora Diana, daughter of the deceased Eccellente signor Rabbi Leon Modena, personally appeared before me, the notary, and the witnesses listed below and presented me with the below enumerated inventory made on the first day of this month of the books, both in Hebrew as well as in the volgare, and house-hold goods which are found in the home of the said deceased Eccellente signor Rabbi Leon, a part estimated by D. Grassin Alpron and Aron Voltera and a part by Isaac Nizza and D. Muse Luzzatto and also signed by them, in order that they be registered in my records as a perpetual memory. And having also the justification of the said estimators, they then made a public and authentic extract of it and here present are the above-named Grassin son of the deceased Salamon Alpron and D. Aron son of the deceased Lion Volterra hebrei, and having testified that they have estimated the goods mentioned in that inventory completely as in it, and Volterra having signed it and Salamon Todesco in the name of Alpron, and they made the present attestatation for the elucidation of the truth at the request of the said Signora Diana.

The tenor of the inventory follows.

Inventory or list of the goods and books, in both Hebrew and in the volgare, and utensils that are to be found in the house of the late Eccellente Rabbi Leon Modena at the time of his death, which property and books are to remain consigned to the said Diana Modena, daughter of the said deceased Eccellente, toward satisfying that which she is creditor by virtue of the document made on 26 December 1631 and the instrument made by the most Illustrious Officio del Mobile on 31 March 1648, this inventory having been made in the presence of the witnesses named below as will be noted below.

Old iron bed-frame L. 48
Another, small, green L. 16
Two mattresses, one small straw mattress, a featherbed, a sofa L. 62
A feather blanket L. 12
A white bed-cover, another small blanket, both old L. 8
A pair of old cloth sheets L. 15
Another pair, large, with stitching, one of hemp and one of cotton, and another torn, all old L. 32
A small white blanket L. 6
Three other dirty sheets, old L. 6
Three small tablecloths, torn L. 18
Large napkins, torn and not matching L. 5
Four men’s shirts, used L. 20
Three of the same, torn L. 4
Three white undershirts, torn, L. 4
Six men’s scarves/handkerchiefs, old L. 5
Three pairs of underpants, old L. 3
Six handkerchiefs L. 5
Two vests, two corsets, white L. 3
Socks and slippers, old L. 3
Three aprons of light cloth, torn L. 2
Two credenza covers L. 1
A used cloak L. 16
Two of the same, of silk, torn L. 6
A flowing coat dress of green cloth, old L. 6
A cloak of light cloth L. 6
Old hats, socks, other old black clothing L. 4
Three women’s hat boxes, broken
Sixty four skins stamped with gold [wall decorations] L. 48
Thirty five other separate skins L. 6
Iron head rest, broken L 1: 10
Wheelbarrow of spruce wood and tortoise[-shells] and a little cart L. 3
Three paintings L. 9
Striped bed canopy, old L. 4
Two bed quilts, torn L. 4
Two large skins, old and torn L. 14
Two petticoats, torn L. 9
Another of black muslin with a jacket, torn L. 6
Another petticoat, torn L. 1
One striped long-sleeved loose gown, torn L. 4
Two green velvet cushions, torn L. 6
One small square [wal]nut table L. 6
The same, large L. 12
Four chairs and a desk/counter L. 27
An old desk of spruce wood, a sideboard of spruce wood, two benches, two seats of straw L. 10
A pair of [something to stop flooding], a “fire-chain” (cadena da fuogo) – [apparently to protect the pots on the fire] and fire tongs L. 12
Two buckets with iron handles, one small bucket, one small frying pan, one hand/bed-warmer, one CANDEGLIER, one brass wash-basin, two fire-pokers, one copper watering can L. 52
A red and yellow colored satin bed-cover L. 18: 12
Brass lamp L 6
Diverse kitchen utensils, knives, a grater, mixed frying pans, trivets, pestel L. 2
Two bread graters L. 1
Brass flask/basket L. 3
A pair of wooden stands/tripods L. 1
Tablecloth L. 8

I, Salamon Todesco, undersign the present [document] in the name of Signor Grassin Alpron the estimator of the above items with his oath that he made in all honesty and this is because he does not know how to write in the vernacular.

I, Aron Voltera have estimated the above items in all honesty and under oath.

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