As part of the annual Venice trip in November 2019, the group of second year Conservation students visited the 16th Century Canton Synagogue at the heart of the world’s first ghetto with Art School Conservation Tutor, Jennifer Dinsmore, who gave the students fascinating insights into this impressive building with complex conservation challenges.
The Canton Synagogue was founded in 1532 and completely restored in late baroque period. The Jewish Museum of Venice, situated next to it, is a little but very rich museum founded in 1953 by the Jewish Community of Venice.
The precious objects shown to the public, which include important examples of goldsmith and textile manufacture made between the 16th and the 19th centuries, are a lively witnessing of the Jewish tradition. Furthermore, the museum offers a wide selection of ancient books and manuscripts and some objects used in the most important moments of the cycle of civil and religious life.
Whilst we were visiting the Synagogue, we were lucky to watch the live Conservation of the terrazzo floor, a composite material using various stones such as marble, quartz, granite set in mortar, at the 16th-century Schola Grande Tedesca.
