Ok, some of these have nothing to do with masks, but are interesting
anyway. :D They might have bibliographies which will lead you to new
sources.
Revelling in the past. Geographical, Feb2003, Vol. 75 Issue 2, p28,
7p, 9c; (AN 8933572)
THE OLD AND NEW WORLDS OF MARDI GRAS. By: Ribeiro, Aileen. History
Today, Feb86, Vol. 36 Issue 2, p30, 6p, 8bw; (AN 4885564)
OUTWARD APPEARANCES: THE DISPLAY OF WOMEN IN RESTORATION LONDON
(ENGLAND)
Author: PRITCHARD, WILLIAM JAMES Degree: PH.D. Institution: THE
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO 0330 Year: 1998
THEATRE OF THE FLESH: THE CARNIVAL OF VENICE AND THE THEATRE OF THE
WORLD (THEATRUM MUNDI, ITALY)
Author: GIURGEA, ADRIAN Degree: PH.D. Institution: UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 0031 Year: 1987
Good luck!
Althea
On Mar 28, 2006, at 11:24 AM, Rachel Sampsel wrote:
Hello, I am new to this list so before I continue, I'd like to
introduce
myself.
My name is Rachel Sampsel and in the SCA my personae name is Raisa
Zaplatskaya, also called "Patches." I've been playing in the SCA
for a
little bit and now I have gotten myself into a bit of a pickle:
I've volunteered to run several plaster mask making workshops in
anticipation of a masked ball. The organizer of the event would
like to
focus on a Venetian theme. Ok, no problem with that.
The problem comes in when I'm researching Venetian masking traditions
PRIOR to the 1600's. I’d like to offer a “brief history of”
handout and
I’m running into all kinds of problems. I've run across a number of
masking sources on the internet, professional suppliers, amateur
sites and
so on that give a very romantic view of the masking tradition, but
don't
supply any bibliography.
According to these sources, Venice had a strong masking tradition in
everyday life prior to 1268 C.E. They swear up and down that it
was VERY
common for peasants through nobles to wear masks in public anytime
they
wanted to go about their “business” (legal and illegal) without anyone
knowing who they were. These sources also swear that the first of
many
laws limiting the use of masks occurred in 1268 C.E. to try and put
a cap
on the illegal activities and moral declination of the city. Some
sources
hint that these were sumptuary laws and others that they were actual
“masking use” laws. These sources don’t give me any reference
material to
work with and when I ask, they point me to another source that is
equally
frustrating in terms of giving me a bibliography.
I have poured through every Venetian history book I can lay my
hands on
and can’t find a single reference to masks in this regard prior to
Carnival becoming the city’s big money making attraction in the 18th
century. Logically, if masks were that widespread, that common and
a big
enough problem that laws were enacted curtailing their manufacture and
use, I should have found it in at least 1 history book, right? I
mean, one
book I tackled was Venice from 697 – 1797 and could provide socio-
economic
figures for the city by year and class as well as reported criminal
statistics by neighborhood. Theoretically, if masking had become that
detrimental to society, it would be deserving of at least a footnote,
would it not?
So my question is – does anyone have ANY idea on a reputable
scholastic
source for Venetian masking traditions prior to the 17th century? Is
there maybe a database out there with medieval Venetian law codes
that I
can tear through or maybe a recognized scholarly authority
SOMEWHERE on
the subject?
I really don’t want to look like a brainless twit on the subject when
people start poppin’ questions at me.
Any help would be appreciated at this juncture.
Patches
_______________________________________________
h-costume mailing list
[email protected]
http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Althea Turner
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Ignorant themselves of the forces of nature and wanting to have
company in their ignorance, they don't want people to look into
anything; they want us to believe like peasants and not ask the
reasons behind things."
William of Conches, 12th century
_______________________________________________
h-costume mailing list
[email protected]
http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
