I am "crowned by a magnificent butterfly", I have "a whimsical, yet elegant styling." I am a wall hanging, measuring 20.5'' from top to bottom. I'm crafted of cold cast bronze with a beautiful hand tinted finish. I cost $94.00 and you can purchase me at The Guiding Tree. Venetian masks with elaborate costumes are a traditional wardrobe at the Venetian carnival. Traditionally people were allowed to wear them between the festival of Santo Stefano (St. Stephen's Day, December 26) and the start of the carnival season at midnight of Shrove Tuesday. Maskmakers (mascherari) enjoyed a special position in society, with their own laws and their own guild. Venetian masks can be made of leather, porcelain or using the original glass technique. The original masks were rather simple in design, decoration, and often had a symbolic and practical function. Nowadays, most of them are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are all hand-painted using natural feathers and gems to decorate. There is little evidence explaining the motive for the earliest mask wearing in Venice. One scholar argues that covering the face in public was a uniquely Venetian response to one of the most rigid class hierarchies in European history.
other Venetian masks from The Guiding Tree:
interesting Venetian carnival facts:
* everyone (meaning ANYONE) who hid under the disguise could pretend to be someone else and maybe climb the stairs of the Palazzo Ducale to go and salute the most serene Doge
* the carnival could not be interrupted and that meant it had to carry on at any cost
* the Carnival stopped being celebrated after the fall of the Republic because it was frowned upon by the Austrians and the French, but the tradition was preserved in the islands of Murano and Burano
* the typical sweets of the Carnevale are Frittelle and Galani, which can be purchased in every single bakery and patisserie in town, but only during Carnival time
(all facts found at Browsing Italy)
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