Venetian Masks - Venice Italy

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Venetian Masks

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Venice shops - masks
Venice Carnival

Venice shops
Venetian masks

During the carnival, wearing masks and costumes they could hide their identity and this allowed cancellation of all differences of social class, gender and religion.
Wearing the mask, you could live under the new identity.
"Good morning Mrs Mask" was the only greeting used, to mean that personal identities were temporarily forget.
With the increasingly widespread practice of disguises for Carnival in Venice came from nothing and gradually developed a real trade in masks and costumes. Since 1271, there were reports of mask making, and technical schools for their achievement. After the construction phase of the models, the work is finished painting and embellishing with details such as drawings, embroidery, beads, feathers and anything else. The so-called mascareri
, which became real craftsmen making masks of styles and invoices increasingly rich and sophisticated, they were officially recognized as a profession with a statute of April 10, 1436, preserved in the State of Venice.
A common disguise in the eighteenth century, and still used today is called the Bauta. This travesty, purely Venetian, and worn by both men and women, consists of a special white mask called Larva
under a black tricorn hat and a very large and enveloping dark cloak called tabarro. The bauta was used extensively during the period of Carnival as on other occasions in which they wanted to ensure the total anonymity as a theater, or in meetings gallant. For this purpose, the particular shape of the mask on face assured the opportunity to drink and eat without having to take off.

Another custom used in those days was the Gnaga,
simple dressing up as women for men, easy to implement and use pretty common. It consisted of women's clothing in common use and a mask with cat-like appearance, accompanied by a basket on his arm that usually contained a kitten. The character is little woman posing as a commoner, and uttering shrill mewing sounds mocking. Sometimes played the guise of mercy, accompanied by other men dressed themselves as children.

Many women, however, wore a disguise called Moretta,
consisting of a small black velvet mask, worn with a soft hat and clothes with refined glazes. Moretta was a disguise mute, because the mask had to stand on her face taking on a button inside the mouth (and therefore also called silent maid).

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