Venetian Costume Masks - How Zanni Can it Get?

The Zanni family of Venetian costume masks originated in Venice during the 15^th century in the Italian comedy - "The Commedia Dell' Arte." The word derives from the Venetian, Giovanni (John). Zanni is sometimes known as Zan, Zane, Zany, or Zani, and is where the English term 'zany' originates. Zanni refers to a clown, simpleton, buffoon or a silly fool kind of character.

The realm of the Zanni family of Venetian costume masks always stem from the lower class, peasant, migrant worker or someone who was a servant, slave, valets or odd job person. Zanni references the class of mask, as well as an individual character.

After being conquered by the Venetians in 1428, the Bergamo peasants were forced off their farms and made to find work in the towns of northern Italy. Giovanni was a common name for the men in the area, most of whom migrated to towns that had jobs for servants, porters, and gofers. These peasants were known for their agility, sturdiness, crudeness and fantastic (affected) speech, which became mimicked by the Zanni in the Commedia Dell' Arte.

Originally, the Venetian Zanni costume mask was a full-face mask but later developed into a half-mask. The nose of the Zanni mask is very important. The nose depicts how simple or stupid the character is. The longer the nose the simpler the person wearing the mask.

The Zanni mask should not be confused with the Plague mask, which also features a long pointed nose.

Primarily, the Zanni is dressed in loose fitting clothing. They were usually hunched with bowed knees from carrying heavy loads. When communicating, the Zanni was noted for constant arm and hand movement, displaying a coarse-rough voice and speech. The Zanni was well known for inappropriate behavior, such as farting, burping or snoring excessively. They were constantly hungry and searching for food, making them appear to be gluttons. They were also known for their laziness and could be found to sleep at any time, any place. Although the Zanni were ignorant (uneducated), they were said to be loyal and great family friends.

Venetian costume masks, especially the Zanni mask, has many characters but always from the peasant class. The character portrays silly and ignorant people with agility and movement. However, the Zanni mask can also portray a porter, soldier, baker, farmer, hawker, the Harlequin and more. No doubt there is much diversity surrounding the uses of the Zanni mask, and wearing a Zanni masquerade mask provides great opportunity for mystery and much fun.