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Commedia dell'Arte Masks
Commedia was a a 16th century theatrical form which employed stock characters in improvisational scenarios. The humor was broad and bawdy - our term "slapstick" actually derives from a stick carried by one of the commedia characters (Arlecchino's batocchio, literally "bell clapper"). Each character had standard comic bits (called "Lazzi"), and each had a distinctive mask. Before the show, the actors would agree on a rough outline of a plot, and then would improvise their way through it in performance.
My commedia masks as shown here are not strictly traditional, but represent my own interpretation of the traditional characters and designs.
For details and larger pictures, click on the picture or name of the mask. This will open a new window. If you are using a popup blocker, you may need to turn it off, or adjust your preferences to accept popups from this site, in order to view these images.
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