The History of Venetian Masquerade Masks
Elaborate, beautiful masquerade masks are commonly created as replicas of Venetian masquerade masks. The masks were originally developed as part of the Carnivale festival associated with the Roman Catholic Lenten period.
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Carnivale
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Carnivale is a celebration closely associated with the Roman Catholic religion and the Lenten period. According to the Venetian Masks Shop website, the Lenten time is a time of reflection and fasting. The word carnivale is derived from the Latin words carne and vale which means “farewell to meat.”
Venetian Celebration
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In Venice, Carnivale is also a time to celebrate the victory of Doge Vitale Michieli II's victory over Ulrich II of Treven in the 12th century, according to the Venetian Masks Shop website. In the 13th century, Venetian laws banned people from wearing masks in public except between Dec. 26 and Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Mardis Gras and marks the beginning of Carnivale.
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Napoleon’s Influence
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According to the Visions of Venice website, Napoleon and the Austrians took over Venice in the 18th century. Carnivale and the wearing of Venetian masks were banned. Mussolini upheld the ban on mask wearing during the 1930's.
Revival
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In 1979, a group of artists brought back the Venetian Carnivale celebration and the masks rose in popularity, states the Visions of Venice website.
Types of Masks
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The most common types of Venetian masks are the Batua and the Moretta, according to the Venetian Masks Shop website. Commonly, residents of Venice used the masks to hide their identity in gambling houses. The Batua is a white face mask worn with a black cape and black three corner hat. The Moretta is an oval, black velvet face mask.
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References
- Photo Credit masquerade image by Erin Cadigan from Fotolia.com
