Many people admire the mystery behind the image that some masks for masquerade ball present, the eye catching designs are paramount to this and the recent film ‘eyes wide shut’ has helped this image along no end.
Masquerade masks date back to the 1200′s when the Venetians might have used masks to celebrate the election of Doge Vitale Michieli. Aside from this, it is likely that the Venetians are also to first people to have celebrated weddings while wearing masquerade masks.
There are many different types of masquerade masks out there but they all follow one of four different basic styles.
Half Masquerade Mask
This type of mask just covers the eyes, part of the nose and forehead.
Full Masquerade Mask
This type covers the entire face, not such a great choice if you have to consume food and beverages while keeping your identity a secret!
Whole masquerade mask
The whole masquerade mask covers the entire head, much less comfortable to wear but it can be decorated much more due to the fact that there is of course a larger area to accommodate decorative materials.
Stick Masquerade Mask
These masks are very similar to the half masquerade mask usually apart from the fact that they are kept against your face either a turned wooden or metal stick.
The Venetians loved the masquerade mask for several reasons, the most popular in my opinion was that the disguise allowed the upper classes to mingle with the lower classes to hide who they were when they wanted to go out and act in a manner that their public identity would never allow.
In this day and age Venetian masks are used for many different social celebrations. weddings, Halloween, prom ball parties, the Mardi Gras and other occasions are all times when these masks will be used.