Florence Friday: Carnevale di Venezia and Masks!

I suppose it's only fitting that today's Florence Friday be about The Italian Carnival, as it just ended on Tuesday.

"The Carnival starts 58 days before Easter and ends on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday or Marte di Grasso, the day before Ash Wednesday." -Wikipedia

It's been held (officially) in Venice every year since 1979.  The Italian government decided they needed to bring back Venitian history and culture, and Carnevale seemed like the best way to start.

**So, Venice isn't Florence, but, it's close enough, right?**

"Teatime" by Horst Raack
It was voted 2012's La Maschera piu bella" (Best Mask)

Supposedly this "Best Mask" contest is held in the last week of the Carnival and is voted on by a panel of international costume and fashion designers.


I'm digging her hat.  Horst Raack also won in 2011 and 2009.

There's also another fancy designer who won Best Mask three times as well: Tanja Shulz-Hess.

"The Voyages of Marco Polo" Tanja Shulz-Hess and Horst Raack,

2009 Winners

Stupidly amazing, that's what that is.  I love that Japanese shrine hat.  Must have been hard to balance!


Anyway, Italian mask-makers hold a high position in Italian society, as masks have always been popular in Venice.  (You can also wear masks during Ascension, which is from October - December, so you can go incognito for a large part of the year.)

Mask-makers are called "mascharari" in Italian.

There are a couple different ways to make Venetian masks.  Either with leather, or with the original "glass" technique.  I still don't know what that is.

Most of them are made with gesso and gold leaf, and totally hand-painted.

If I'm in Italy studying the arts, I'm definitely going to find a way to learn how to make my own Venetian  mask.  =)

There are two styles I can choose from:

Traditional Bauta mask

Volto (aka Larva="Ghost")

As you can see, Bauta masks cover the whole face.  They were once used in government ballots to enforce anonymity. Police had the right to enforce the law that weapons could not be worn in addition to Bauta masks.

The masks that go from the forehead to the upper cheekbones are also considered to be Bauta. You can also eat more easily with this style of Bauta (or kiss, if you're using it as a romantic disguise).

Volto masks are the more common ones--They're cheaper to make, and more comfortable.

I don't know what these ones are called.

Ezio Auditore

You know, I secretly think I want to go to Italy because that's where the majority of the Assassin's Creed games are set.  And Ezio even uses a gold mask during Carnevale to infiltrate a high society party in the second one.  *sigh*

Here's my favorite mask so far. 

I've been trying to figure out what it is about this one that I like so much, and I think it's the 

"mask-on-a-mask" thing I'm liking.  

And the contrast is simple and perfect.

Or maybe it's the lace I like.  hmm...

Happy stormy Florence Friday!  Happy Carnevale!