Masks in the - John Paul II HS

Masks in the
time of
Elizabeth
Venetian Masquerade Summary
The festival known as Carnival occurs throughout
much of the Roman Catholic world. Many
Americans, Catholic or not, have attended the
festivities in New Orleans. But in Venice, Carnival
traditions go all the way back to the Renaissance.
For a 10-day period before Lent, from the day
after Christmas until Shrove Tuesday, the ancient
city comes alive with masked revelers enjoying
pageants, commedia dell'arte, concerts and balls.
Carnival (originally "carnevale"), comes from the
Latin for "farewell to meat."
This boisterous festival marks the beginning of
Lent, the time before Easter when Catholics
refrain from eating meat.
The Carnival History
The oldest document pertaining to the use
of masks in Venice dates back to 2nd May
1268.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe,
simple, pre-Lenten celebrations evolved
into what we know as Carnival. But the
tradition of masquerading, for which
Carnival has become known, is much older
than that.
It has its roots in a Roman fertility festival
where masks were worn by citizens and
slaves alike.
1608 was an important year, the 13th
August to be precise, when a decree from
the council of 10 was issued declaring that
the wearing of the mask throughout the
year posed a serious threat to the Republic.
To avoid the terrible consequences of this
immoral behavior, every citizen, nobleman
and foreigner alike, was obliged to only
wear a mask during the days of carnival
and at official banquets.
Two different decrees (1699 and 1718) saw
the prohibition of wearing a mask during
Lent and other religious festivals which
took place during carnival.
The 1700s were the glory days of the
Venetian Carnival. In those times, maskwearing and other unofficial activities
continued past Lent, well into the spring.
Carnival was a time of nonstop partying,
gambling and general irresponsibility for
people of all social classes.
Of course this is all after Elizabethan times.
From the late 16th Century, the Heraldry of locations like Venice and Verona (the
setting of Romeo and Juliet) was captured in words of the playwright William
Shakespeare and brought to the audiences of England.
You may remember the scene when Romeo enters the Capulet Masquerade Ball
with his Montague relatives.
Under the disguise, Romeo is able to steal away the heart of his true love and win
the hearts of Shakespeare’s loyal fans.
The following few panels of this presentation will join both the time period of the
plays by Shakespeare where masks are used as props, the period costumes developed
today to capture the Elizabethan spirit and the modern masks that have been
inspired by leatherwork and papier mache masks of the past.
Here are two of the dancer costumes designed for the play and referenced at
Internet Shakespeare Editions : http://ise.uvic.ca/index.html . Other costumes
follow on the next pages.
Here are the costumes redesigned for Juliet and Mercutio and Romeo’s costume on
the next panel is followed by many delightful mask designs of today, inspired and
influenced by the artisans and craftspeople of old. Enjoy!
Please note the IP addresses of sites providing media for this slideshow at the end.
"Djinn"
Maker of mischiefs and
magics,
as wise and powerful as
an ancient godling,
commanded by the even
wiser king-sage, Solomon.
His face is deep blue and
teal,
and his power radiates in
gleaming antique gold
from his brow, wherein
grows the jewel that is
his all-seeing third eye.
(stretchy strap)
Gossamer" ~ fair from
the artist’s Fae
Collection inspired by
the poetry of Edmund
Spencer.
In 1596, Spencer
penned his classic
honoring Queen
Elizabeth I, The Faerie
Queene, (reference to
her as a descendant of
King Arthur.)
"Ruckus", No. 9
The classic jester,
its face in gleaming black,
its crown in bright colors and
smothered in opalescent glitter, as
small brass jingle bells dangle
from it points.
(stretch lace strap)
© Ryl Mandus
http://www.angel-mask.com/
These masks are from Spain,
handcrafted from Leather, and
truly fantastic!
© Felix Gutierrez
Lots of character, variety, suspense, mystery- the masks provide a way for the
people of Venice, of Shakespeare’s time to let their cares wash away in a most
decadent way. This practice continues today on the streets of New Orleans
during the city’s annual Mardi Gras celebration marking the beginning of Lent.
Masks have been used almost universally to represent
characters in theatrical performances. Theatrical performances
are a visual literature of a transient, momentary kind. It is
most impressive because it can be seen as a reality; it expends
itself by its very revelation. The mask participates as a more
enduring element, since its form is physical.
The mask as a device for theatre first emerged in Western
civilization from the religious practices of ancient Greece. In
the worship of Dionysus, god of fecundity and the harvest, the
communicants' attempt to impersonate the deity by donning
goatskins and by imbibing wine eventually developed into the
sophistication of masking. When a literature of worship
appeared, a disguise, which consisted of a white linen mask
hung over the face (a device supposedly initiated by Thespis, a
6th-century-BC poet who is credited with originating
tragedy), enabled the leaders of the ceremony to make the god
manifest. Thus symbolically identified, the communicant was
inspired to speak in the first person, thereby giving birth to
the art of drama.
In Greece the progress from ritual to ritual-drama was
continued in highly formalized theatrical representations.
Masks used in these productions became elaborate headpieces
made of leather or painted canvas and depicted an extensive
variety of personalities, ages, ranks, and occupations. Heavily
coiffured and of a size to enlarge the actor's presence, the
Greek mask seems to have been designed to throw the voice by
means of a built-in megaphone device and, by exaggeration of
the features, to make clear at a distance the precise nature of
the character.
Moreover, their use made it possible for the Greek actors—wh
were limited by convention to three speakers for each
tragedy—to impersonate a number of different characters
during the play simply by changing masks and costumes.
Details from frescoes, mosaics, vase paintings, and fragments of
stone sculpture that have survived to the present day provide
most of what is known of the appearance of these ancient
theatrical masks. The tendency of the early Greek and Roman
artists to idealize their subjects throws doubt, however, upon
the accuracy of these reproductions. In fact, some authorities
maintain that the masks of the ancient theatre were crude
affairs with little aesthetic appeal.
Its obvious to most theatrically minded people (thespians) and those
that study Shakespeare- that the Bard felt the influence of his times to
continue the traditions present in the theatrical art form of his day and
to continue to share the tradition with later admirers of his work.
All of these beautiful Venetian Carnival Masks that follow were
handmade in the Venetian tradition of "Mascareri" by some of the best
mask makers in Venice, Italy!!! The positive e negative cast of every
model is from a proprietary original design! In the Venetian Carnival
masks market, these masks are the gold standard that new artisans try
to copy, but they can not come close because they lack the knowledge
and original materials to do so. With each handmade creation, you'll
receive the highest possible quality in these Venetian Carnival Masks!
A 17TH-CENTURY death mask
claimed to be that of British
playwright William Shakespeare
could be genuine, according to
new research.
The mask, discovered in a
ragpicker's shop in 1842 and
now owned by the German city
of Darmstadt, has long been a
subject of controversy.
It bears the high forehead and
prominent nose and beard
associated with the Bard and
bears the inscription "+ Ao Dm
1616", apparently meaning
"Died Anno Domini 1616", the
year Shakespeare passed away at
the age of 52.
But leading scholars have questioned the provenance of the mask
and also said it is not a close enough match to the tiny handful of
portraits that can be attributed to Shakespeare.
References:
http://www.anymask.com/maskstore/historyofmask.html
http://bun.i.hosei.ac.jp/~engl/cfs/single/maskfethr.html
www.getimmediate.com/ cooling-collar/Masks.html
www.thecostumer.com/ store/subcat.cfm?subcatID=223
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/15965662/
http://www.deviantart.com/view/15556785/
http://www.deviantart.com/view/15556696/
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/16785183/
ise.uvic.ca/.../Rom/ UVic1998/ByScene/Rom1.5.html
http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,1824541716947,00.html