Cookies on OyList

We use essential cookies to keep OyList working. With your permission, Google Analytics cookies help us count visits and understand which pages are useful.

How we use cookies
HomeExploreFashionVenice Carnival Masks and Costumes
Statistics
A bauta’s jutting chin, a plague doctor’s long beak, and a Harlequin’s patchwork diamonds make for very different silhouettes. These photographs from the Venice Carnival show how people wear the old mask shapes and theater costumes, alongside the brocade, lace, and gilded gowns that fill the city during Carnival.

Share

Embed
Share this list with friends or copy the link:

Images16

1
Bauta and tabarro
Bauta and tabarro: The mask projects sharply below the nose, and the dark tabarro cloaks the body. Worn together, the mask…
2
Gilded masks in Piazza San Marco
Gilded masks in Piazza San Marco: The paired costumes bring together embossed gold faces, beaded headwear, and embroidered…
3
Gnaga cat mask
Gnaga cat mask: The pointed ears and gilded whisker lines give this cat mask away. The old gnaga costume paired a cat face…
4
Harlequin
Harlequin’s costume grew from the patchwork clothes of the quick-witted servant Arlecchino in commedia dell’arte. The…
5
Moretta
Moretta: The two revelers wear oval black masks with no opening for the mouth. Traditionally, a woman held a moretta in…
6
Colombina half-mask
Colombina half-mask: The blue and gold mask on the right covers the eyes and bridge of the nose, leaving the mouth and chin…
7
Baroque-inspired gowns on the waterfront
Baroque-inspired gowns on the waterfront: Full blue and gold skirts anchor these baroque-inspired ensembles, with patterned…
8
Corona, the Red Queen
Corona, the Red Queen: Karen Duthoit built her red-and-gold dress in the shape of a crown. The 2024 Carnival jury gave it…
9
Plague doctor mask
Plague doctor mask: A long beak and round eyeholes make the medico della peste easy to spot. The Carnival costume borrows…
10
Festa delle Marie Costumes
Festa delle Marie Costumes: The Festa delle Marie brings a procession of twelve young women in period-style clothing to…
11
Volto full-face mask
Volto full-face mask: The molded face covers the wearer from forehead to chin. A volto, also called a larva, follows the…
12
Celestial headdress
Celestial headdress: Silver stars, mirrored baubles, and a snowflake rise from the blue headdress above a silver mask. The…
13
Feathers and a lace fan
Feathers and a lace fan: Amber plumes sweep up from the headdress, and a lace fan repeats the gold decoration around the…
14
Jester With a Matching Doll
Jester With a Matching Doll: A patchwork cap and a wide ruff frame the mask. The figure holds a small jester dressed in the…
15
Marco Polo at the Opening Street Show
Marco Polo at the Opening Street Show: At the opening of the 2024 Carnival, a performer dressed as Marco Polo crossed a…
16
Illuminated Carnival costumes
Illuminated Carnival costumes: The matching pink tunics and light-wrapped staffs stand out against the dark lagoon…

Comments

Be respectful
•
Shortcut Ctrl Enter to post
•
0/2000

Loading comments…

Copyright © 2026 OyList. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy
|
Terms
|
Copyright
|
Contact
|