The Best Masquerade Masks

Masquerade masks are gorgeous pieces of work today, but they did not originate as pieces of art to be displayed. Unlike today where we display these works of art, they were originally used to help make people from all levels of society equal in order to have a wonderful party atmosphere.

That great all inclusive party is called Carnival. It is said to have originated in Venice, Italy around the 11th century. The practice spread to France during the Renaissance in the 16th century. However, the behavior of the masked party participants lead to poor feelings about the event by religious figures and the practice was eventually stopped. Luckily in the 1970’s there was a revival in Venice.

The event was a chance for all of the citizens to be seen equally because they disguised their identity with elaborate paper-mâché masks. Since their identities were unknown it allowed each person to take on a whole new personality, expressing themselves in a way they would never behave normally. In fact men would use this opportunity to steal kisses from women, a practice that would never be acceptable in the general public but the protection of the masks allowed for such behavior (one of the reasons religions decided this party was not respectable).

In America, Carnival has transformed into the great parties held in New Orleans, Louisiana in the days leading up to Lent. Yet those parties are stemmed directly from the European idea of Carnival, thanks to Pierre LeMoyne d’Iberville. Iberville is credited with discovering the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1699. He brought along the great party Carnival.

Over time there began to certain styles of these masks. One extremely recognizable style would include a long pointed nose, a style often referred to as the Capitano. This half a mask was thought to help ward off some diseases, in particular the Black Plaque. Another popular style is the cat mask, or gatto style, which looks like a cat face. Then there is the jolly masks which is a full face covering with curly extensions around the top and finished off with pearls or bells to add to the Carnival feel. These are only a few of the styles that have become popular over the years. Masquerade masks make great works of art to be displayed or worn to masked balls in order to take on that new persona.