The Bauca mask is the MOST famous mask from Venice.

Venice, Italy is a very famous place for mask making. I visited one mask shop which claimed to have been in business for over 350 years. As I was looking for the origins of Mardi Gras masking in the United States, I was lead to the streets of Venice. One mask shop there specialized in plaster/paper mache masks.

This Venetian shop sculpts the mask from clay, makes a plaster mold and then builds the cloth and "secret glue" mixture from there to create the mask.

This is a drawing by Giovanni Grevembroch - "Mascare" - (18th century) but I saw people in Venice wearing a similar costume in 1999.

The Bauta mask from my collection that you see above is considered to be THE signature mask of Venice, although it is also used outside the Mardi Gras season. It is unique because it was designed so you could still eat and drink without removing your mask.

The Bauta mask is always white, and was worn all year round to protect a person's identity. As with many masks I researched, the primary purpose was to allow all people (rich, poor, influential and servants) to be equal during the mask wearing experience.

Critical Thinking Question: Did you ever wish you could conceal YOUR identity? Why?

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