Tuesday, 21 June 2011

Morretta Mask

The Morretta Venetian mask originated in medieval France to prevent the woman from talking to nuns or male clergy when going to church. the mask was made with black velvet(hence the name morretta meaning dark) and completed with a black silk veil. to keep the mask attached to your face there was a button where the mouth should be and it was kept clenched between the teeth , meaning no speech could pass your lips.Eventually in the 1700s  the Venetians adopted the mask for their carnivals as it enhanced the woman's feminine features and accentuated the tone of their skin color .It was in Venice that the Morretta mask came to be nicknamed  as Servetta Mura (dumb maid servant).

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