[The Ca’ Farsetti palace, Venezia, now the town hall of Venice.] Autograph Signature of ‘Made. Farsetti \ Nobile Veneta’, with note in English identifying her as ‘The original owner of the House that is now the Gran Bretagna at Venice.’

The head of the noble Farsetti family Tommaso Farsetti was described by Casanova as ‘a Venetian of noble birth, a knight of Malta, a great student of the occult sciences, and a good Latin versifier’. For further information regarding the palace, see the treatment of Ca’ Farsetti in Juergen Schulz, ‘The New Palaces of Medieval Venice’ (2004), which states that between 1804 and 1826 ‘The Gran Bretagna is known to have been operated by a tenant of Andriana Da Ponte’s, who owned Ca’ Farsetti between the dates above.’ (In 1826 the palace ceased to be an hotel and became the town hall of Venice.) On one side of a 9 x 5 cm piece of wove paper. In fair condition, lightly aged, with minor traces from mount on reverse. Reads, in a firm hand with a bold flourish beneath: ‘Made. Farsetti / Nobile Veneta’. Beneath this, at foot, in a Georgian hand: ‘The original owner of the House that is now the Gran Bretagna at Venice’. See image.