Carnival of Venice
The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy, famous for its elaborate costumes and masks. The Carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday, which is the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday.
The Carnival traces its origins to the Middle Ages, existing for several centuries until it was abolished in 1797. The tradition was revived in 1979, and the modern event now attracts approximately 3 million visitors annually.
History
According to legend, the Carnival of Venice began after the military victory of the Venetian Republic over the patriarch of Aquileia, Ulrich II, in the year 1162. In honour of this, the people started to dance and gather in St Mark's Square. Apparently, this festival started in that period and became official during the Renaissance. In the 17th century, the Baroque Carnival preserved the prestigious image of Venice in the world. It was very famous during the 18th century. It encouraged licence and pleasure, but it was also used to protect Venetians from present and future anguish. However, under the rule of Emperor Francis II, the festival was outlawed entirely in 1797 and the use of masks became strictly forbidden. It reappeared gradually in the 19th century, but only for short periods and above all for private feasts, where it became an occasion for artistic creations.After a long absence, the Carnival returned in 1979. The Italian government decided to bring back the history and culture of Venice and sought to use the traditional Carnival as the centrepiece of its efforts. The redevelopment of the masks began as the pursuit of some Venetian college students for the tourist trade. Since then, approximately 3 million visitors have been coming to Venice every year for the Carnival. One of the most important events is the contest for la maschera più bella, which is judged by a panel of international costume and fashion designers. Since 2007 the winners have been:
- 2007: La Mongolfiera by Tanja Schulz-Hess.
- 2008: Luna park by Tanja Schulz-Hess.
- 2009: The voyages of Marco Polo by Horst Raack and Tanja Schulz-Hess.
- 2010: Pantegane from England.
- 2011: La famille Fabergé by Horst Raack, and Ommagio a Venezia by Paolo and Cinzia Pagliasso and Anna Rotonaia, best costume for the official theme 19th century by Lea Luongsoredju and Roudi Verbaanderd.
- 2012: Il servizio da thè del settecento by Horst Raack, most creative costume Oceano by Jacqueline Spieweg.
- 2013: Alla Ricerca del Tempo Perduto by Anna Marconi, most colourful costume Luna Park.
- 2014: Una giornata in campagna by Horst Raack, and Radice Madre by Maria Roan di Villavera.
- 2015: Le stelle dell'amore by Horst Raack, best costume for the official theme La regina della cucina veneziana by Tanja Schulz-Hess, most creative costume Monsieur Sofa et Madame Coco by Lorenzo Marconi.
- 2016: I bagnanti di Senigallia by Anna and Lorenzo Marconi, best costume for the official theme I caretti siciliani by Salvatore Occhipinti and Guglielmo Miceli.
- 2017: Il signore del bosco by Luigi di Como.
- 2018: L'amore al tempo del campari by Paolo Brando.
- 2019: I bambini della luce by Horst Raack, best traditional costume matrimonio all'italiana by Borboni si Nasce, most original costume Paguri by Nicola Pignoli and Ilaria Cavalli.
- 2022: Dragon Baby by Cinzia Mandrelli from Rimini and her brother Piersante.
- 2023: Astrostar by Karen Duthoit. Second was 4 elements: fire, air, earth, water by Alissa Karaeva from Pesaro, and third was Processione a San Marco by Simone Fracca from Bologna.
Carnival masks
Maskmakers enjoyed a special position in society, with their own laws and their own guild, with their own statute dated 10 April 1436. Mascherari belonged to the fringe of painters and were helped in their task by sign-painters who drew faces onto plaster in a range of different shapes and paying extreme attention to detail.
Venetian masks can be made of leather or porcelain, or by using the original glass technique. The original masks were rather simple in design, decoration, and often had a symbolic and practical function. Nowadays, most Italian masks are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are hand-painted, using natural feathers and gems to decorate. However, this makes them rather expensive when compared to the widespread, low-quality masks produced abroad. This competition accelerates the decline of this historical craftsmanship particular to the city of Venice.
Several distinct styles of mask are worn in the Venice Carnival, some with identifying names. People with different occupations wore different masks.
Origin
There is less evidence explaining the motive for the earliest mask being worn 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. During Carnival, the sumptuary laws were suspended, and people could dress as they liked, instead of according to the rules that were set down in law for their profession and social class.The first documented sources mentioning the use of masks in Venice can be found as far back as the 13th century. The Great Council made it a crime for masked people to throw scented eggs. These ovi odoriferi were eggshells that were usually filled with rose water perfume, and tossed by young men at their friends or at young women they admired. However, in some cases, the eggs were filled with ink or other damaging substances. Gambling in public was normally illegal, except during Carnival; the Great Council document decrees that masked persons were forbidden to gamble.
Another law in 1339 forbade Venetians from wearing vulgar disguises and visiting convents while masked. The law also prohibited painting one's face, or wearing false beards or wigs.
Near the end of the Republic, the wearing of the masks in daily life was severely restricted. By the 18th century, it was limited only to about three months from December 26. The masks were traditionally worn with decorative beads matching in colour.
''Bauta''
The bauta is a mask, today often heavily gilded, although originally simple stark white, which is designed to comfortably cover the entire face; this traditional grotesque piece of art was characterized by the inclusion of an over-prominent nose, a thick supraorbital ridge, a projecting "chin line", and no mouth. The mask's beak-like chin is designed to enable the wearer to talk, eat, and drink without having to remove it, thereby preserving the wearer's anonymity. The bauta was often accompanied by a red or black cape and a tricorn.In the 18th century, together with a black circular or semicircular clasped cape called a tabarro, the bauta had become a standardized society mask and disguise regulated by the Venetian government. It was obligatory to wear it at certain political decision-making events when all citizens were required to act anonymously as peers. Only citizens had the right to use the bauta. Its role was similar to the anonymizing processes invented to guarantee general, direct, free, equal and secret ballots in modern democracies. Also, the bearing of weapons along with the mask was specifically prohibited by law and enforceable by the Venetian police.
Given this history and its grotesque design elements, the bauta was usually worn by men, but many paintings done in the 18th century also depict women wearing this mask and tricorn hat. The Ridotto and The Perfume Seller by Pietro Longhi are two examples of this from the 1750s.
Colombina
The Colombina is a half-mask, only covering the wearer's eyes, nose, and upper cheeks. It is often highly decorated with gold, silver, crystals, and feathers. It is held up to the face by a baton or is tied with ribbon as with most other Venetian masks. The Colombina mask is named after a stock character in the commedia dell'arte: Colombina was a maidservant and soubrette who was an adored part of the Italian theatre for generations. It is said it was designed for an actress because she did not wish to have her beautiful face covered completely. In fact, the Colombina is entirely a modern creation. There are no historic paintings depicting its use on the stage or in social life.While both men and women now wear this mask, it began as a woman's analog to the bauta.
Gnaga
During the 16th century in the Republic of Venice, homosexuality was illegal and punishable by death by hanging and burning in Piazza San Marco. However, Venetian law stipulated that people could not be punished for crimes committed while performing as a masked character during the Carnival. In order to practice prostitution without fear of punishment, male homosexual prostitutes wore cat masks, called gnaga, and performed as women. These prostitutes often wore dresses and carried baskets of kittens with them.The gnaga mask continues to be worn at the Carnival of Venice by men dressed as women. Wearers of the mask typically behave like female commoners, meowing mockingly at passers-by. People that wear the gnaga are known as gnaghe.