Hand-Made Venetian Masquerade Mask: Full-Face Tarot Tragedy

$249.95

Inspired by the Commedia dell'arte, this absolutely exquisite adult-size full-face mask has been completely hand-crafted from start to finish in Venice, Italy. It features a lacquered papier-mâché "Tragic Clown" base painted in pink, orange, blue, white and gold colouring with bright red open mouth. The face is topped by extravagant curls of stiffened parchment with colourful Tarot Card patterning and is accented with beautiful brass bells and brocade.

The entire mask measures approximately 40cm x 40cm, with the face section itself being 16cm across the width and 23cm in length. It has red ribbon ties attached to each side and will be perfect to wear to a masquerade ball.

Commedia dell'arte was a popular form of improvisational theatre that began in Italy in the 15th century. It maintained its popularity through to the 18th century and is still performed today. All of the unscripted performances were held out of doors with few props and were free to watch, funded by donations. The performances were improvised around a repertory of stock, conventional situations - adultery, jealousy, old age, love - and some of the characters included the ancestors of the modern clown.The commedia dell'arte has influenced many other forms of drama, including pantomime and Punch and Judy.

The mask comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and will make a marvellous addition to any collection. It would also make a fabulous decoration when mounted on a wall around the home.

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