Vechtpartij op brug in Venetië 1660 - 1736

Domenico Rossetti made this print of a bridge fight in Venice in the late 17th or early 18th century. Rossetti's dramatic depiction of the fight raises questions about the social and cultural significance of public spectacles in Venice. Bridge fights, or "guerra dei pugni," were a popular form of entertainment in Venice, where rival factions would engage in organized brawls on bridges. These events were not merely spontaneous outbursts of violence, but carefully orchestrated displays of communal identity and social competition. Rossetti’s print emphasizes the chaos and energy of these spectacles. The image creates meaning through its depiction of the bridge as a site of conflict. To understand this print better, we can look into the archives of Venetian festivals and public ceremonies. By researching the social history of Venice, we can understand how these events reflected and reinforced the city’s social order. As historians, we interpret art as a product of its time.