The Signoria was composed of the doge, six councilors and the three chief judicial magistrates. It held both ceremonial and executive powers.
The Doge, Ducal councillors, heads of the forty, de facto the government.
A Signoria (from Signore or Lord) was an abstract noun meaning (roughly) 'government; governing authority; de facto sovereignty; lordship in many of the Italian city states during the medieval and renaissance periods.