Wide view of Venice: Piazza San Marco - Riva degli Schiavoni
Etching by Francesco Bertelli: Sailor with his servant? - Il Carnevale Italiano Mascherato - etching (1642)
Francesco Bertelli: "Ferrarese with his servant disguised as sailor"
Il Carnevale Italiano Mascherato - etching (1642)

Ferrarese with his Zanni

A Buratin-Zanni with a sailor mask

Other masks from the town of Ferrara are shown here, two men and one woman.

They are not dressed in traditional Venice Carnival's fashion, one is dressed like a sailor - Zanni, the servant - and the Ferrarese boss is bargaining with the lady.

In another printing of this same image they are defined as Buratin and Ferarese, so we take them this way.

The fact the main guy is telling the woman to "trust him", may give the idea that he just "picked her up": a new Carnival conquest?


“Fideve pur di me che l' zane tasa
e cosi mascherati andiamo a casa”

“You can trust me that the Zanni won't say anything
and masked as we are, we're going home ”


Copyright by Roberto Delpiano 1997-2023 - visit my website www.delpiano.com