Amit: the Persian Mascheraio
At number 4964 close to Canonica Bridge and the fondamenta Osmarin, in Campo S. Provolo I met Amit — one of the finest mascherai (mask artisans) in Venice.
I arrived just this morning and was seriously concerned about what to wear these days in Venice. So I embarked upon a serious walk along the city’s small bridges and canals, hoping to find the right inspiration.
I know it’s totally too late to be doing this, but it doesn’t matter, after all, I have always had a talent for “catching good fish,” and today, I am absolutely sure I am in the right waters.
While crossing the bridge, I notice, just over the still water, a beautiful small shop looking more like a tavern than anything else with its antique colored stained glass windows in the manner of 16 th Century Dutch and Northern Europe artistry. Small flower pots and ivy leaves witness peacefully the considerable amount of people and energy going in and out of its charming door entrance. I decide to make my way into this enchanted place. It’s filled with people expressing themselves in a multitude of gestures and different languages; around me are thousands of masks. All kinds hang from the low ceiling, precisely organized and displayed on the walls, and the most precious of them are arranged on antique wood tables accompanied by gloves and large colorful rings.
Among the masks I can recognize the traditional Jolly (Jester) with semi-precious stones inlays and music notes, white, gold, or with medieval prayers, Medico della Peste (Plague Doctor), Volo della Colombina (Flight of the Dove),with and without hands Bauta (Venetian Citizen) , Casanova, female and male Arlecchino (Harlequim) , Doge, hanging foglia (leaf), and Colombina (Columbine).
A small man with dark hair, round working glasses and a mustache wearing a white apron and a traditional Venetian black hat (basically a modern and stylish Persian version of Collodi’s Geppetto). He moves nervously among the Latin American clients, silk and velvet capes, multicolored satin ribbons, silver brocades trimmings, small pearls, gold leaf and copper filigree, sequins, aged patinas samples, Swarovski crystals, brown and gold leather — he’s holding a small black notebook and a small torn pencil.
“Where are you from?” I ask. He does not answer. “I have a blog on lifestyle and once I had an Iranian passport. Can we have a talk”, I shoot. Amit lifts one eyebrow from the small calculator he was holding in his hand and visibly happy to get a break, and talk with an ex-Iranian, tells me his story and gladly shows me around. Clients are hysterical.
In 1296, the Serenissima Republic of Venice decreed that the day before Lent — the 40-day period before Easter, observed in the Roman Catholic faith as a time for reflection and repentance — would henceforth be a holiday so that its citizens could get the urge to sin out of their systems.
The day came to be known as “Carnivale” — literally “goodbye meat!” (from the Latin carne “meat” and vale “farewell”) since giving up meat was traditionally one of the penances observed during Lent.
In Venice’s hierarchical society, Carnivale also served a useful social function by giving the lowest-born classes the illusion that they were on equal footing with the powerful ruling elite– allowing them the anonymity to make fun of the wealthy in public by wearing masks on their faces.
If one day of Carnivale was good for repentance, how much better was a week or a month? Gradually, the beginning of Carnivale slipped backwards until finally it became set as 26 December. Its official close was Ash Wednesday.
As Venice declined in political power, its reputation as the capital of decadence grew. What happened in Venice stayed in Venice! But after Venice was annexed by the straight-laced Austrians in 1798, Carnivale was no more.
It wasn’t until a group of Venetian artists in the 1970’s began making masks again as a tribute to their history, that the celebration that has come to be synonymous with Venice was reinstated. Amit, landing in Venice at that time as recently graduated student of Architecture from the university of Teheran, and political refugee was one of them.
We are now at the Laboratorio across the canal. Amit explains that the technique of crafting masks from paper maché is an ancient process. First the mask designers make a clay mold by hand. Once the clay has dried, gesso (a soft chalk mix) is poured on the mold to create a negative mold. (check out the photo gallery below). Wet paper with glue is then hand shaped on to the gesso mold to create a mask. Once dried, the mask will be painted and decorated.
I take some photos, thank him, ask him to pick a mask and a precious advice for the costume I should wear.
His reply , “Ma come, don’t you know Dominique ?”
Joelle’s Picks:
The Mask laboratorio : Ca del Sol : Castello 4964 30122 Venezia (S. Zaccaria - Fond Osmarin)
Tel. e fax 0415285549 - E-mail:cadelsol@libero.it
Other Fine Laboratorios: Balocoloc, Benor Maschere, Laboratorio Casanova and La Bottega dei Mascareri ( work was featured in Stanley Kubrick’s last film, Eyes Wide Shut).
Unfortunately many of the masks sold in Venice today are actually assembly line items made in China.
