The Masks of the Carnival of Venice: The Bauta

Originally, the Carnival of Venice was to celebrate the victory of the Republic of Venice or "Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia" in 1162 against the Patriarchate of Aquileia, another Italian city state of the era. The people of Venice began celebrating this victory as Carnival in the Piazza di San Marco of Venice. The Carnival of Venice typically ends forty days before the Christian holy day of Easter on Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday.

The Bauta mask was made in a style with a jutting chin so that the person wearing it could eat and drink while the mask was on. It is one of the oldest styles of masks and was typically black or white in color. The Bauta mask should not be confused with the Medico della peste or 'The Plague Doctor' mask which has a very long beak. The Plague Doctor mask was used to avoid illness and the style did not originate with Carnival.

Historically, the Bauta mask was constructed of leather, porcelain or glass. The Batua mask is worn with a tricorn hat and a veil covering the rest of the head and neck. Many of the capes or 'tabarro' were originally red, white or blue in color. By the 18th century, it was a very popular costume and the capes worn with the costume were also black.

The mask allowed for complete anonymity in a society of strict social classes of rich and poor, the Bauta allowed for a leveling of the playing field during social events. The wearer could completely conceal their identity so the possibilities of intrigue were rampant. The shape of the mask along the nose area also would allow the wearer to partially change their voice to allow for even more of a disguise.

Originally only allowed during the Carnival, the costumes became more prevalent outside of that time period before Ash Wednesday even during political events where being anonymous was important. Typically worn by men, there are examples of artwork where both men and women wore the Bauta mask or masks in general. Pietro Longhi (1701/2 - 1785) was a Venetian born painter who subjects included everyday Venetian life. He included in his works more than one painting of people in Bauta masks and costumes, or other mask styles not covered in this article.

Clara the Rhinoceros (Ca' Rezzonico) by Pietro Longhi, 1751

The Ridotto in Venice, by Pietro Longhi, ca. 1750's

Inspired by our recent exploration to Venexia in SL and the recent holidays of Carnival and Mardi Gras, the Bauta masks for Carnival are intriguing. There are many more masks used during Carnival with their own style and history. Some reference links are included below for further reading if you wish. A thanks to Lucerius Zeffirelli for the inspiration for this piece.

Reference Links:

http://slowitaly.yourguidetoitaly.com/2013/01/carnival-of-venice-types-of-venetian-masks/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Venice

http://www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/bauta.html

http://www.venetian-masquerade-masks.net/2010/08/origins-and-history-of-bauta-mask.html

http://www.camacana.com/tag/bauta-3/

Cheers and thanks for reading,

Leena

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Thanks for this peek into the history of the Bauta, Lady Leena. I find it amazing that some of them were made of glass.

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I'm glad you liked the article, I was surprised as well. There are some beautiful images on google, the craftsmanship that went into them past and present is very extraordinary

I wonder if the ornateness of the mask itself lead to anyone being able to tell if someone was more wealthy ... hmm, that's something else to read about

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My goodness, Leena! I think you earned yourself a Doctorate in Bautatomy based on all the information you gleaned for us on this subject. Well done! ( :

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Correction: Make that Bautatology AND Bautatomy ! You covered it ALL. ( ;

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Thank you for posting this.....one day Venezia will return

The Bauta mask is rarely ornamented, and remains anonymous and simple....maybe what the wearer wore underneath might give away their true status.

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That's a good point Contessa, since the mask was meant to be anonymous and simple ... everyone might do that on purpose to allow them some 'freedoms' while wearing it

I was thinking about that time you and Mercury wore these outfits at Versailles and I thought you were both wearing plague masks .... I think the masks you wore were this type, the Bauta?

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Thank you Summer, the masks are really a great topic

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Hugs my friend ... I'm sorry this pains you but as I recall you did wear this costume, not only to Versailles with Nimue but to Lady Olivia's party. I know it's not the same as physically being there.

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Very informative essay on the Bauta. I enjoyed reading very much. Here is one of my favorite pics of the bauta costume on the web. It's a little more fancier, with a gold mask and lacier tunic: http://club-3t.ru/uploads/posts/2010-02/1266759919_gold-bauta.jpg

...And since we're on the subject of the Venice Carnival, here's something I posted a few months ago. I'm posting it again just for fun: Vivaldi - Four Seasons (Winter)

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That is a great photo, and I love the rose. Venetians loved their intrigue and the costumes that allowed more anonymity so the photo is very suggestive of that. Thanks for sharing it

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Beautiful music and the backdrop of Venice is perfect. Some of those masks are so ornate in the video, I think the one with the clamshell is extraordinary. Thanks for sharing this too

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Another version of the Bauta I just found just now. Too good not to post: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YPhxOzTWMVA/TGqY6XOEvXI/AAAAAAAAADU/f8DhQ...

And Leena, this is the inspiration for my own version that I was telling you about that day... this was the double faced "bauta" from the movie Amadeus: http://s3.amazonaws.com/bo-assets/production/attachments/17272/original/amadeusblurayreview.jpg?1278319245

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That's a beautiful one! )

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Beautifully done! Thank you.

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You two are amazing me! How what started out as a simple spontaneous evening get together has spawned such a rich and colorful aftermath with fabulous music and loads of eye candy, not to mention gems of fascinating historical references ( : !!! ... thank you for such an enjoyable and memorable gift.

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I'm glad you like the discussion, thanks for reading and the nice comment

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Thank you very much, I'm glad you like it

And Clara? LOL

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I suspect Clara is more than a bit miffed at the jubilant fellow off to the left proudly brandishing her removed horn, poor thing!

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They were indeed the Bauta....I remember the occasion well

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Nice shot of the Portici round the Palazzo Ducale

.....Sigh......

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Wow Summer, you are completely right ... I didn't even notice the missing horn.

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Guess all the Sherlock Holmes DVD's I've been watching lately are rubbing off on me, LOL.

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Thank you for posting this information Comte about Clara, it makes sense that the horn would be removed so that Clara wouldn't gore anyone. She must have been quite a sight to see in the 18th century Italian city states.

I looked at some conservation websites and it seems that a rhinoceros horn can be removed safely and without pain if done right and the very base of it is not disturbed. In modern times, some horns have been removed to prevent poaching. The horn is made of keratin and doesn't have any nerve endings.

Cheers

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Thank you Stormy )

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Lady Leena et Monsieur Gandt,A beautiful project and discussion. The richness and detail of the masksis reflected in the detail here as you've presented thiswonderful subject. Just delectable detail and expression. Makes me want to dive in. Awesome, I love your posts.

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Yes Candice, the glass, I guess Venetian glass so yeah. You would need to be careful wouldn't you? I recently visited my neighbour to see immediately that she had a Venetian mask in her cabinet, sent from her sister in Rome,and it was like a beacon, beaming down through the ages peering excitedly through the glass pains of the cabinetas it rested in between lace and family memories. Incredibly charismatic, if a mask can be.. I opened the cabinet and and took it my hands .. it was heavier than i expected and then I placed it on. It was pretty special.

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Thank you very much Jane )

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