The Masquerade Mask.

Seeing as our annual Masquerade Party is on the 23rd June I thought I would post some masks for attendees to think about.

Probably the easiest to make would be these black leather masks, depending on where your skills lay.

The common bauta mask.

Something with a bit more style.

The Black Velvet Moretta.

Masquerade Masks.

The Venetian exception

The carnival of Venice has gotten more and more popular over the past twenty years. Still, the usage of masks in the city served a different purpose in history, especially in the 18th century. In Venice, masks were used in everyday life as a way to remain incognito, and to transgress social classes. The Venetian society, which was very fond of intrigues of all sorts, found in masks a very convenient way to remain discrete in all situations. And, oddly enough, masked parades such as carnivals were relatively rare in Venice.

The hood made of black silk, which was worn by men, is called bauta. It is completed by a piece of lace which hides the bottom of the face and goes down to the waist. It was traditionally accompanied with a tabaro (a coat, usually black or grey, scarlet for the noble), a tricorn, and a larva (a white semi mask). Women would usually wear a moretta, which is a black velvet mask.