What ho! Pepys...
In my search for continued stymulation of the mind...
...I have to confess...
...that a burning desire has arisen within me of layte...
...to be in attendance at a maske'd ball.
Thus I am please'd to report that we hath attended a Maquerade...
...being several in number...
...and all suitablee attyred
...and all suitablee attyred
Beforehand I hath partaken in much reseayrch to discover the histoire of this practice.
...which doth intrigue and fascinate me much.
For is not thye anonymity preserve'd?...
...amongst a gatherying of comely strangers together in the darkening nyght...?
...for all to drink and make merrie until the wee small hours?..
...vouchsafe'd in the knowledge that thy identity wilst remain a secret?
Why...any number of indyscretions cud easily befall a bedfellow such as I...
...in such cyrcumstances!
Which be why......
....the Carnivals were so popular.
One mask that fascinates me in particular is called the 'Bauta'
and is the first mask developed in 1800 Century
to completely hide the wearer's identity and social standing...
(although it was usually only the rich who could afford such finery).
The Bauta is designed to be worn together with a Tricorn and a hooded cloak....
...a look which I am particularly fond of...
...the mask itself covering the mouth...
...but with a convenient outward pointing triangular shape....
...but with a convenient outward pointing triangular shape....
... so that the wearer could continue to safely eat and drink...
..without having to remove it and thus reveal their true identity.
Now....here's a portrait of a place called the Ridotto...
Study it for a moment...
...and be transported back in time...
Notice the profusion of Bauta's?
The Ridotto started off as an illicit private room within a Palace...
where members could drink, eat, gamble and fornicate...
...at their leisure...
It eventually became better known as a 'Casino'.
Which led to it's participants frequently being imprisoned as Debtors.
Which led to it's participants frequently being imprisoned as Debtors.
There are many other styles of mask worn by today's Carnival goers....
...although many of these Traditionally based on the original Masquerade designs...
...but the other one I also like...
...is the one pictured to the right of the Bauta in this next picture
It is known as the 'Medico Della Peste' or 'Plague Doctor's' mask.
It is one of the most bizarre but recognisable of the Venetian masks
with it's long beaklike protuberance.
The 'Doctor'...
(and many of them were merely Tradesmen prior to getting this terrible job)
..developed a herbal blend of salts and aromatic plants...
(usually rosemary, garlic and juniper)
...which was packed into this 'beak'
...as it was believed that the smell would keep the bubonic plague away...
...and thus protect the wearer.
It was the same belief that encouraged people to empty their privy's out into the street...
...as they believed the plague couldn't withstand the smell of the excrement dumped there...
(a kind of misguided early attempt at disinfectant)
(a kind of misguided early attempt at disinfectant)
The job of Plague Doctor was thus not a Profession...
...in which one could expect to live very long.
...................
Whilst many of these pictures show the masks in daylight...
...it's easy to imagine them in the darkened rooms of candlelit buildings...
...where they will take on a much more 'menacyng ayre'.
 |
| A fasciniating and powerful scene from an infamous film |
But isn't that all part of the intrigue?
It's nice to see that the demand for masks is still alive and well!
So 'Long live The Masquerade!'
Tallyho!
Best Wishes - Lord Noel &c
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