The Sculptors of Forcole in Venice
Les Forcole by Saverio Pastor The forcola (oarlock) is the point of support for a boat’s oar: it is the central component that bears the full force of manoeuvring and propulsion.
Gondolas (singular: gondola) and their distinctive oarlocks (plural: forcole) are made exclusively in Venice. The Squeri build the gondolas and the Remeri craft the oars and carve the forcole.
Each has their own speciality, which is not the case for the squeri of the Lagoon, who build all manner of working and pleasure boats and deliver them fully equipped with their oars and forcole.
The remeri are craftsmen who work for gondoliers and for regatta enthusiasts.
Gondola Forcole: a master’s craft
There are three types of forcola: bow, stern and side forcola.‘Fitting’ of Forcole at Remer Saverio Pastor’s workshop
The forcola of a gondola is a very distinctive part in that it must be carved to fit the gondolier’s measurements and build, whilst taking into account, as far as possible, his rowing style and posture on the boat.
Given that the gondolier rows standing on a platform at the stern, whereas the rower of a sandolo simply stands on the floor of his boat, the gunwale of the gondola is therefore lower, meaning that a gondola’s forcola must be higher than that of a sandolo. The largest forcole are, in fact, those of gondolas.
To make a gondola forcola, a quarter of a trunk from a hundred-year-old walnut tree from northern Italy or Yugoslavia is required; the piece is first roughly cut with a saw following the lines indicated by the templates. The carving work is then carried out using a adze and a plane.
Contrary to what one might think, the surprising shape of the forcola is the result of neither fantasy nor chance: the immense stresses borne by the forcola are concentrated on the morsi (jaws), which are the rounded indentations against which the oar shaft rests.
The position of each mors corresponds to the exact point where the oar must be placed to manoeuvre the gondola: moving forwards, backwards, making a sharp turn or turning on the spot… there are eight in total. Hence the unique and magnificent shape of the forcola.
It takes around thirty hours to craft a forcola, which the gondolier can normally use for a good twenty years, regularly coating the jaws with lard to protect them from friction.
The gondola’s single oar measures 4.20 metres in length and is made either from exotic wood (Ramino) or, more traditionally, from beech.
The forcola has a coating of oil before delivery and costs around 1000 €, or more if decorated… that is the price of this bespoke “beautiful gearbox” for steering a gondola, which itself costs a mere €25,000, yet operates solely by elbow grease!
If you fancy taking home a hand-carved oar, Saverio Pastor and Piero Dri carve much cheaper scale models. The beautiful model, one-third the size of the real thing, costs €150.
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