Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Venetian Mask

Posted by Kero at Tuesday, October 12, 2010
 Happy Wednesday visitors! We continue the fun on ABC Wednesday and my take on letter M is  for mask. These are very popular souvenir for tourists visiting the city of Venice.

Venetian Carnival Masks are hand-made from papier-maiche

Venetian Masks are a centuries-old tradition of Venice, Italy. The masks are typically worn during the Carnivale, but have been used on many other occasions in the past, usually as a device for hiding the wearer's identity and social status. The mask would permit the wearer to act more freely in cases where he or she wanted to interact with other members of the society outside the bounds of identity and everyday convention. It was thus useful for a variety of purposes, some of them illicit or criminal, others just personal, such as romantic encounters.


Venetian masks are characterized by their ornate design, featuring bright colours such as gold or silver and the use of complex decorations in the baroque style. They can be full-face masks (like  the bauta) or eye masks (like the Columbina).

This shop near Diana Hotel exclusively sells luxury masks.
Venetian masks feature prominently in the film Eyes Wide Shut. In the film, the main character (played by Tom Cruise) infiltrates a masked ball where high ranking individuals engage in secret orgies and masonic rituals. You can see the mask used in the film here.

An entry for



11 sweets for Kero:

Kayni on October 12, 2010 at 7:17 PM said...

ang galing. it's good you were able to take pics. the stores i went to while visiting Venice didn't allow photography...lol.

Sylvia K on October 12, 2010 at 10:35 PM said...

What a fascinating post for the M Day! I love it! And I love the photos of all the different masks! Really interesting history, too, thanks for sharing it all with us! Hope you're enjoying a great week!

Sylvia

Mara on October 13, 2010 at 12:43 AM said...

I love those masks and I think I may even have owned a (tourist) one in the past. I never used it though.

photowannabe on October 13, 2010 at 3:07 AM said...

Amazing masks so full of fantasy. Thanks for sharing all the interesting information.

Anonymous said...

hello!This was a really fine blog!
I come from milan, I was luck to find your theme in yahoo
Also I obtain a lot in your website really thanks very much i will come later

Roger Owen Green on October 13, 2010 at 4:41 AM said...

magnificent masques! esp the 1st one

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Verna Luga on October 13, 2010 at 6:50 AM said...

sis, ang ganda neto ... kahit isa lang lol... so pretty... wish to own one ... salikod ng maskara...hahahah

Have a nice time!
My ABC Wednesday Here

Leslie: on October 13, 2010 at 7:09 AM said...

It would be fun to have such a party and invite everyone to bring someone else - someone you didn't know - and wear these masks! What a riot! :D

Misfit in Paradise on October 14, 2010 at 6:19 AM said...

Beautiful masks. I enjoyed Eyes Wide Shut too!

Donna - ABC Wednesday

ChrisJ on October 14, 2010 at 10:31 AM said...

Masks can be really beautiful. I saw some made out of molded leather in Mexico a few years ago.

Anonymous said...

This is wonderful blog. I love it.

 

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