Italian (Venice), Upper cover of the commissione of Doge Giovanni II Cornaro to Giovanni Bollani as Podestà of Chioggia, 1718. Repoussé and chased, height 22 cm x width 18 cm x depth 3.5 cm (closed). Accession Number: 2.a.3.1. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum © 2013 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Italian (Venice), Lower cover of the commissione of Doge Giovanni II Cornaro to Giovanni Bollani as Podestà of Chioggia, 1718. Repoussé and chased silver, height 22 cm x width 18 cm x depth 3.5 cm (closed). Accession Number: 2.a.3.1. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum © 2013 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Italian (Venice), Obverse of the seal of the commissione of Doge Giovanni II Cornaro to Giovanni Bollani as Podestà of Chioggia, 1718. Silver, 3.5 cm (circumference). Accession Number: 2.a.3.1. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum © 2013 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Italian (Venice), Reverse of the seal of the commissione of Doge Giovanni II Cornaro to Giovanni Bollani as Podestà of Chioggia, 1718. Silver, 3.5 cm (circumference). Accession Number: 2.a.3.1. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum © 2013 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Italian (Venice), Spine of the commissione of Doge Giovanni II Cornaro to Giovanni Bollani as Podestà of Chioggia, 1718. Silk damask, height 22 cm x width 3.5 cm. Accession Number: 2.a.3.1. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum © 2013 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Italian (Venice), Illuminated miniature and opening text of the commissione of Doge Giovanni II Cornaro to Giovanni Bollani as Podestà of Chioggia, 1718. Paint, gold paint, and ink on vellum, height 22 cm x width 36 cm. Accession Number: 2.a.3.1. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum © 2013 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Italian (Venice), Illuminated miniature of the commissione of Doge Giovanni II Cornaro to Giovanni Bollani as Podestà of Chioggia, 1718. Paint and gold paint on vellum, height 22 cm x width 18 cm. Accession Number: 2.a.3.1. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum © 2013 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Italian (Venice), Opening text of the commissione of Doge Giovanni II Cornaro to Giovanni Bollani as Podestà of Chioggia, 1718. Gold paint and ink on vellum, height 22 cm x width 18 cm. Accession Number: 2.a.3.1. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum © 2013 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Justice enthroned, lion of St. Mark with book inscribed in Latin 'Peace be with you Mark, my Evangelist', and Bollani family arms. Silver seal with St. Mark blessing the doge, cord and tassel of metallic and red silk thread, and silk spine, 1718.

This is a rare example of a commissione with the bolla, or ducal seal, still attached. The subject depicted on the seal emphasized that the doge's authority was divinely ordained. The cover's female figure of Justice, holding a sword and scales, and wearing a doge's horned hat, symbolizes the Venetian government's charge to preserve peace by means of justice. She reminded the commissione's recipient, Giovanni Bollani, of his duty to administer justly at Chioggia, an important town at the southern limit of the Venetian lagoon. The covers were decorated using the metalwork techniques of repoussé, hammering the silver from the back to create a design in relief, and chasing, or tooling detail or ornament on the front. The unknown silversmith signed his sumptuous work with the initials AP.

Source: Anne-Marie Eze, Illuminating the Serenissima: Books of the Republic of Venice, special exhibition on view in the museum's Long Gallery, May 3 through June 19, 2011.

See the related artwork for a figure of Venice personified with lions of St. Mark in the museum's collection.