Masks are a very important part of the Carnival of Venice. The masks are typically worn during the Carnival, but have been used in other occasions in the past, usually for hiding the person's identity or social status. The mask would allow the person to act more openly in cases where he or she wanted to interact with people of different social class. It was useful for a variety of purposes, some of them allowed one to commit unlawful acts, others were just personal, such as romantic gestures.
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BautaIn the 18th century, the bauta was worn together with a black cape called a "tabarro". It become a standardized "society" mask and disguise regulated by the Venetian government. It was mandatory to wear it at certain political events when all citizens were required to be anonymous. Only citizens (men) had the right to use the bauta. Also, carrying weapons while wearing this was prohibited and enforceed by the Venetian police.
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ColombinaThe Colombina mask is named after a stock character in the Commedia dell'arte (comedy of craft). It is said it was designed for an actress because she did not wish to have her face covered completely.
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Medico Della PestaThe striking design of the Medico Della Pesta originates from 17th-century French physician Charles de Lorme. He adopted the mask together with other sanitary precautions while treating plague victims.
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MorettaThe Moretta (meaning dark one lady) or servetta muta (meaning mute servant woman) was a small, strapless, black velvet oval mask with wide eye slits with no lips or mouth, worn by patrician women. The mask was just large enough to disguise a lady's identity and was held in place by biting on a button or bit (so the women wearing this mask was unable to speak) and was sometimes worn with a veil.
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VoltoThe volto (meaning face) or larva (meaning ghost in Latin) is the most famous modern Venetian mask. It is often completely white though also commonly gilded and decorated, and is frequently worn with a tricorn and cloak. It is secured in the back with a ribbon. Unlike the moretta muta, the volto covers the entire face and creates simple facial features like the nose and lips. Unlike the bauta, the volto can't be worn while eating and drinking because it fully covers the chin and cheeks. The volto is not a commedia mask because the mouth is always open.
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PentaloneThe Pantalone. The name means "he who wears the pants" or "father figure" in Italian. It's worn in the theatre by a sad old man with an oversized nose, like the beak of a crow, with high brows and slanted eyes (it's meant to signify intelligence on the stage).
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ArlecchinoArlecchino (which means harlequin), is a zanni character (dispossessed immigrant worker) of the commedia. He is meant to be a "noble savage", full of emotion with no reason, a peasant, a servant, even a slave. His black half-mask makes him like he has a short, blunt, nose, a set of wide, round, arching eyebrows, a rounded beard, and a "bump" on his forehead which is like a devil's horn.
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ZanniThe Zanni character is another classic on the stage. He has a half mask , giving him a low forehead, protruding eyebrows, and a long flipped nose. Some say that the longer his nose, the more stupid he is. The low forehead is also a sign of stupidity.
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