It is possible to distinguish three big categories of masks used during carnival in Venice.
1. CLASSIC MASKS:
- The bauta
- "servetta muta"
(dumb maid-servant) called also "moretta"
( a little black mask for women with a button to be kept only
with the mouth and not more used in Venice after year 1760)
- "medico della peste" (plague
doctor), used only in for urgency (i.g. plague) the long
nose contained filter prepared with salts and aromatic plants:
rosemary, garlic, juniper. In secondary moment, this mask has
been used as spell meanings.
- Mute mask, without incision
in the mouth, with skill to modify the voice and the disguise
was a mantel with hood and the mask (known now as domino)
- The gnaga (mask used by men
to seem women), the disguise is a man with female clothes, a cat
mask in the face and instead to talk, the man mewed and a little
cat in a basket.
- Half face
These masks were very usual in ordinary life during carnival in
Venice.
2. IMAGINATION MASKS, for parties in aristocratic palaces (plumes, animals, …)
3. MASKS FROM ITALIAN COMEDY: The purpose of
those one is to represent a specific personality: Arlecchino
the clever servant, Pantalone
the old and rich niggard, Colombina
the good maid-servant and wife of Arlecchino. Outside of Venice,
Pulcinella in Naples represented
the zanne and the position of his hat identified his behaviour.
Each mask has his regional meanings and tradition.
In all histories, a lot of people ask what does the bauta represent?
The bauta is not a mask with animal form or ridiculous intention,
the bauta wants to hide as French domino.
To mention:
Fulvio Reuter (one of the most Venice photographer): "during
carnival, I'm what I really am not…"
A. Scarsella "you don't wear the mask, but mask wears you"
