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Description

The front iron of a Venetian gondola.

I also learned that the gondolas used to come in different colors and that the front irons used to be ornate to the point of absurdity, until a sumptuary law intended to ''restrain luxury or extravagance'' decreed that gondolas should always be painted black. Apparently the same law also did away with the most over-the-top decorations of the front irons.

Description

The front iron of a Venetian gondola.

I also learned that the gondolas used to come in different colors and that the front irons used to be ornate to the point of absurdity, until a sumptuary law intended to ''restrain luxury or extravagance'' decreed that gondolas should always be painted black. Apparently the same law also did away with the most over-the-top decorations of the front irons.