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.
In the Venice of the late-1700s, to use an example of how mask wearing was codified, the wearing of masquerade-type face coverings became restricted to the three months when Carnivale took place throughout the city (from December 26th). It was also in the 17th century that many of the most popular mask designs began to attract other decorative acoutrements, including colored matching beads. It would seem that Venice has been almost solely responsible for just about every evolution in the mask, in fact.
In terms of various costume-type face-hiding wear these days, there are a number of different variations on the Venice-originated mask. A "Bauta" is a kind of face-obscuring device that completely hides the entire face and has a square jaw, and it was seen in the movie "V." Italian males at Venice Carnivale celebrations often mate the Bauta with the Tabarro, or black cape.
An almost instantly recognized Venice mask, which is also somewhat bizarre, is seen at many masques and is called the Medico Della Peste or "The Plague Doctor." Featuring a long prominent beak, The Plague Doctor mask became very popular in the 1600s when an Italian physician treating victims of the plague first used it while caring for those victims. Often nowadays, The Plague Doctor is tricked out and seriously decorated when used at masquerade balls and celebrations.
A common sight all over the world, especially at masques and other balls, Venetian masquerade masks show no signs of losing their popularity. Much of the best mask-type wear can be had for very low prices though some can cost quite a lot money. The history of the mask of Venezia goes back hundreds of years and its history is likely to be added to over the hundreds of years ahead. Indeed, it would seem that masques centuries from now will feature these unique face-obscuring devices.
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