Wide view of Venice: Piazza San Marco - Riva degli Schiavoni
Etching by Francesco Bertelli: "Francesco Bertelli: "Maschera" (Mask) (1638-1650)
Francesco Bertelli: "Maschera" (Mask)
etching (1638-1650)

The BURATTIN mask

Is this a bad taste joke ... or worse?

We can imagine a wild situation as Carnival in the "right-after-the-dark-ages" times would present a little bit of every behavior.

We see here represented a specimen - called "Buratin" (Puppet) threatening the lady with a huge knife to receive sex from her.

As the name Buratin, comes out in other different images, I would like to see it like "the fool, the funny and a little crazy character" but maybe in those times it could have had a different meaning.

Is it a real threat, then? Usually the Buratin is the personal servant, the Zanni, but the clothes' style matches the lady's, so in this case the social positioning seems to be the same.


"Di quel ch'io chiedo non mi far mentita
Che se salvi l'onor ti va la vita"

"Of what I am asking don't give me a denial
Because if you save your honor you lose your life "


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