In the 17th and 18th century the Jews of Venice were a rich and flourishing community.
Officially, they could work only as money lender, have pawn-shops or deal with second hand clothes and furnishing, but then of which quality! Sir Wotton, an English nobleman who lived in Venice, bought furniture, fabrics, carpets, chandeliers and other various objects in the Jewish Ghetto. Even most of the decorations for the golden boat of the Doge, the Bucintoro, came from the Jewish shops.