glamour & gore : Venice Carnival & Masquerade Ball

Venetian Carnival celebrations, scandalous nights of anonymity, balls famously rife with decadence and gluttony, lasciviousness and lust, are traditionally attributed to the decadent Venetian aristocracy of the 16th Century. 

Sadly their reign was rather short-lived, and after the fall of the Venetian Republic in the 18th Century, the masquerade balls migrated from the opulent ballrooms of Venice to their sleazy back streets, where their grandeur quickly turned gruesome. 

Masquerade balls were a feature of the Carnival season and these costumed public festivities of the Renaissance soon became popular throughout mainland Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.  

They were generally elaborate dances held for members of the upper classes, and were particularly popular in the Carnival of Venice. Venetian aristocracy would indulge in a scandalous night of anonymity rife with decadence, gluttony and lust. At times ending in fatal tragedy.  

Gustav III of Sweden was assassinated at a masquerade ball by disgruntled nobleman Jacob Johan Anckarström, an event which Eugène Scribe and Daniel Auber turned into the opera Gustave III.  

The same event was the basis of Giuseppe Verdi's opera A Masked Ball, although the censors in the original production forced him to portray it as a fictional story set in Boston. 

After a long absence, the Carnival returned in 1979. The Italian government decided to bring back the history and culture of Venice, and sought to use the traditional Carnival as the centerpiece of its efforts. 

The redevelopment of the masks began as the pursuit of some Venetian college students for the tourist trade. Since then, approximately 3 million visitors come to Venice every year for the Carnival. 

One of the most important events is the contest for la maschera più bella ("the most beautiful mask"), judged by a panel of international costume and fashion designers. 

A new resurgence of masquerade balls began in the late 1990s in North America. More recently, the party atmosphere is emphasized and the formal dancing usually less prominent. Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tradition.

188 Galerie Fall 2016 Window Display

This Halloween you too can celebrate and stand out in one of this elaborate Venetian masks. Available at 188 Galerie, exclusively from Vintage Black Label.