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A selection of Venetian carnival masks have always been an important feature of the Venetian carnival. Traditionally people were allowed to wear them between the festival of Santo Stefano (, December 26) and the end of the carnival season at midnight of. As masks were also allowed on and from October 5 to, people could spend a large portion of the year in disguise. 3d optical mouse rating 5v 100ma driver. Maskmakers ( mascherari) enjoyed a special position in society, with their own laws and their own.

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 Italian masks are made with the application of and 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 mainly by American factories. This competition accelerates the decline of this historical craftsmanship peculiar to the city of Venice. History of the masks [ ] 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.

During Carnival, the 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. Masked men threw eggshells filled with perfume during carnival.

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 that were usually filled with 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 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. Types of masks [ ] Several distinct styles of mask are worn in the Venice Carnival, some with identifying names. People with different occupations wore different masks.

A Medico della Peste mask. The Medico della peste, with its long beak, is one of the most bizarre and recognizable of the Venetian masks, though it did not start out as carnival mask at all but as a method of preventing the spread of disease. The striking design originates from 17th-century French physician who adopted the mask together with other sanitary precautions while treating victims.