Venice Carnival Masks

Also see: Venice Carnival

Carnival masks are the hallmark of il Carnevale di Venezia. Venice's Carnival began in the 11th Century, and the wearing of masks and costumes was well established by 1436, when   maskmakers or mascareri were officially recognized with their own guild.

The practice of wearing masks for disguise reached its zenith in the 18th Century, when Venetians of different social classes used Carnival as an excuse to mingle and, in some cases, to trade sexual favors without fear of recognition or retribution. (With a mask, a silk hood, a tabarro cape and a tricorn hat, a housewife in search of hanky-panky was indistinguishable from a nobleman on the prowl.)

Masks virtually disappeared--along with Carnevale--when Napoleon's troops brought an end to the Venetian Republic in 1797. However, they've staged a spectacular comeback since a group of former Academy of Fine Arts students opened Venice's first modern mask shop in 1978.

Venice Carnival masks fall into several categories:

• Commedia dell'Arte masks are based on traditional characters like Harlequin and Pierrot.

• Fantasy masks are figments of the maskmaker's imagination, although they may be inspired by historical designs.

• Traditional Venetian masks such as the white volto half-mask with nose cover and its variant, the "plague doctor's" mask with its phallic beak. (According to tradition, the beak was intended to protect the wearer from being infected by the plague.)

Next page: Where to buy Carnival masks in Venice

Do you find our site helpful?
Share it with a click:

Follow @durant_imboden

Hotel Advice:

Location can be important in a car-free city with 400+ bridges, especially when you're walking with luggage. Before you book, see:

• Hotel Recomendations by Area
  Find hotels that are handy to the airport, railroad station, cruise port, or Piazza San Marco, and in Mestre.

• Aerial Venice Hotels
  Read our tips on choosing the right sestiere or district. Then view individual hotels and their surroundings in large satellite photos and aerial close-ups.

Venice for Cruisers:

• All Venice Cruising Articles
• Roundtrip Cruises from Venice
• MSC Eastern Mediterranean Cruise Review

From our Venice Travel Blog:

A water taxi ride to Venice Airport
A warning about water taxis
Venice Railroad Station: a vaporetto view
Long lines at Venice Airport
Free boat trips to Murano
Need to pee? Prepare to pay
Crime in Venice
The perils of overpacking
Venetian daily life

From Maggie in Venice:

A dog's life in Venice
A Beagle boards a water bus
Maggie in Venice video clips

|  Europe for Visitors  |  Rome for Visitors  |  Paris for Visitors  |  Europe for Cruisers  |

|  About us  |  Contact  |  Testimonials  |  Audience  |  Disclosures  |  Privacy  |

Copyright © 1996-2012 Durant Imboden, Cheryl Imboden, and their licensors.
All rights reserved.