Gaetano Gherardo Zompini, printmaker

Masking is associated with carnival season and festival, especially in Venice. In fact, for six months of the year, from October through March, Venetian society wore masks as daily dress. Both men and women wore the “domino,” an ensemble consisting of a black-and-white cloak and mantel and a black hat, or tabàro, combined with a white mask, or baùta, as seen in these etchings. Though masking was not uncommon and not considered inherently deceitful (as we might assume today),
it was associated with the formality of public life, and offered opportunites for the relaxation of social boundaries. Maskers lined the balconies and clogged the Grand Canal in boats for regattas and processions; masks were donned to received foreign diplomats or attend marriages. This images shows how masking looked in more ordinary circumstances, such as attending the theater, while also highlighting the role of everyday Venetians in sustaining the entertainments for which the city was famous.