Carnival in Venice Pictures:
Costumes, Masks and Intrigue
There's no carnival quite like the Venice 'carnevale'. This famous celebration, held each year in February or March (the exact dates change according to Easter), has a rich history and has become an attraction for tourists from around the world.
The Venice Carnival is famous for elaborate costumes that hark back to the decadence of the 18th century. However, the carnevale of Venice is older than this, having its origins as far back as the 1400s.
Masks are an essential part of the Venetian carnival tradition, and over the years classic mask designs from the past have been recreated and have become associated with this historic celebration.
Come explore with us the Venice carnival in images. These pictures of the 'carnevale di Venezia' are available to buy as posters and art prints should you want to decorate for a masked ball inspired party or carnival celebration of your own.
The Masks of the Venice Carnival
Elaborate and richly decorated masks are a must for this famous Italian carnival. Solid gold is a popular choice for a festival where showing wealth through costume is encouraged. Pure white masques create a striking contrast and have painted lips and eyes for impact.
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 Buy This at Allposters.com |
 Buy This at Allposters.com |
The idea of the mask is to hide the identity of the carnival-goer. For this reason, most Venetian masks have an impassive expression, making the costumed wearer look either like a doll with only his or her eyes showing, or in some cases even creating a vacant look. In certain lights it may be hard to tell if anyone is in the costume at all until the figure moves.
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Even with a solid gold style carnival masque there will be some decorative touches around the eyes. Other Venetian masks are decorated with bright colours, and you will often find a white or colorful mask that has the effect of an additional eye-mask in gold. Other masks that you can buy in Venice will come with additional decoration to create the effect of a hat or a frame around the face.
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Venetian Carnival Hats and Headwear
If a mask is an essential for an Italian carnival, above all that of Venice (a city also known as la Serenissima), headwear is no less important.
The plainer the mask, the richer and more decorated the hat or headwear needs to be. Think bright and vivid colors, gold accents, large flowers, beads, fruit, and swathes of fabric. A single shade can create a striking Venetian carnival hat or headpiece, but in this case the focus needs to be on shape and texture.
Modest is a word that simply doesn't belong in Venice at carnival time!
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Carnevale di Venezia Costumes
Now for a carnival costume to live up to that amazing Venetian mask and headdress! There is no point going to all that trouble above the neck simply to disappoint with your outfit. Venice carnival costumes are as rich and decadent as the headwear.
Full-length costumes inspired by history are the order of the day. the 17th and 18th centuries are the best place to look to for ideas. Fabrics must be lavishly decorated and accessorized.
Silks and satins, brocades and lace all have a place in a carnival costume. So too do plumes of feathers and eye-catching fans.
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Celebrating the Beauty of Venice, Italy
Carnival is about a city as much as it is the players. Maybe more so. The players leave the stage to be replaced by others, but Venice is the stage itself.
During the Venetian carnival celebrations you can see the famous sights such as the Bridge of Sighs and St Mark's Square populated by the extraordinary cast of carnevale characters. It's a perfect opportunity for photographers.
If you can't get to Venice yourself for the celebrations, or don't have the photographic equipment to get the stunning shots of Venice seen below, one of these posters might be just the thing to inspire memories or dreams of this beautiful Italian city at its most magical.
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The Spirit of the Carnival
If art rather than photography captures your imagination, the popular Italian artist bulgan_lumini has painted all the wonder of carnival time with a palette of gorgeous, vivid shades. This enchanting work is availabe as art prints, posters and gift items via one of the web's most trusted print-on-demand stores, Zazzle.
Click on an image for further details or to view more work by this artist.
 Arlecchino and Colombina |
 BURNING THE CARNIVAL |
 THREE MASKS |
 MASQUERADE PARTY |
Celebrating the Beauty of Venice, Italy
These magnificent portraits of Venice's carnival players come from a series of 50 posters by VeniceArt. Visit the link to view all 50 photographs, each featuring a costumed character or characters photographed against a Venetian scene.
 Venice Carnival 35 |
 Venice Carnival 16 |
 Venice Carnival 27 |
 Venice Carnival 18 |
 Venice Carnival 14 |
 Venice Carnival 46 |
