The Long And Interesting History Of Venetian Masquerade Masks
by Chloe Gib
Venetian masquerade masks have a long history, and that history can make for a very interesting read even if one isn't particularly interested in a mask per se. The Italian city of Venice, or "Venezia" in Italian, originated the idea of the mask centuries ago, and it was used in a number of events taking place during the annual Carnivale season, such as "masques." In generally most such face-hiding implements are used to obscure a wearer's features, most times for benign purposes but also sometimes for naughty reasons.
Little is known about the initial motivations that lay behind the usage of masquerade ball-type face coverings at the typical "masque." It would seem that covering the face using such obscuring devices was a unique response by citizens in that southern Italian city in order to overcome rigid class distinctions that existed centuries ago. Wearing face-obscuring clothing or other devices allowed the hoi polloi to freely mix with the lower classes and vice-versa, in other words.
In Venice, the first use of a face-obscuring or identity hiding cloth or other material of a Carnivale-type event took place in the 1200s. It's known that such mask usage came into vogue in the 13th century because a number of laws in that southern Italian city took care to note just when and where persons wearing a mask could wear it, such as that no masked person could enter a convent or nunnery. Over the centuries, conventions for the use of a mask in Venice were gradually formally annotated so that wearers could don and use them correctly.
Beginning at some point in the Venice of the 17th century, mask wearing outside of the three-month period from December 26th onward (the time when Carnivale occurred) became strictly controlled. It was also in that century that a great many different decorative conventions were added to the typical face covering, including beads colored to match. Indeed, it would seem that Venice has been the great driver of innovation and evolution when it comes to the face mask or covering.
There are several different types of costume mask wear nowadays, all of which have their origins in Venice. One type of mask common to Venice and which was popularized in the movie "V," is the Bauta, or full-face covering. Traditionally, though, a Bauta had no mouth and a stubborn chin line. Among Italian males in Venice, the Bauta was often combined with the black cape called a "Tabarro."
One of the most recognizable, though bizarre, face mask-type coverings seen in Venice and elsewhere at most masques or balls is the Medico Della Peste, or The Plague Doctor. Featuring a long beak, the Della Peste first came to prominence in the 17th century, when an Italian physician treating plague victims actually used it while caring for those victims. These days, The Plague Doctor mask is often highly stylized or decorated when worn at a ball or masque.
Venetian masquerade masks are often seen all over the world and at many a masque or other stylized ball or celebration. Such face coverings can range from very inexpensive to some jeweled models that can cost quite a bit of money. With a history that goes back hundreds of years, and likely to go forward hundreds more years, there seems little doubt that masques in the centuries ahead will feature examples that will be even more valued as well as ubiquitous.
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New Unique Article!
Title: The Long And Interesting History Of Venetian Masquerade Masks
Author: Chloe Gib
Email: sodauaw@gmail.com
Keywords: Venetian masquerade masks, Italian leather purses, Murano glass jewelry, Italian masks, masquerade costumes, masqued ball
Word Count: 569
Category: Hobbies
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