Kartaruga is one of the most important mask ateliers in Venice, famous for having collaborated with important cinematographic and theatrical productions, such as Stanley Kubrick's film Eyes Wide Shut, becoming in turn part of the legend that surrounds it.
The art of the mask maker, one of the most magical of which Venice is the guardian, takes us back to the fascinating and secret world of precious ballrooms, disguise and transgression.
Masks are, in fact, closely linked to the history of the city and the tradition of Carnival: a celebration that saw its peak between the 17th and 18th centuries when it lasted for months and the use of the mask was a status symbol that allowed an anonymity that was often exploited to commit crimes of love and not only.
A mask tells us more than a face.
(Oscar Wilde)
This abuse forced the Republic of Venice to limit its use with specific rules, such as banning masks outside of Carnival days. The celebration was then abolished with the Treaty of Campoformio in 1797, when Venice was ceded by Napoleon to Austria, and the Carnival tradition survived only in the secret parties of Venetian palaces until the 1970s when, with its public revival, the ancient profession of mask makers also revived.
Today Kartaruga, a union of the names papier-mâché and turtle (in Italian cartapesta and tartaruga), an animal depicted in the marble coat of arms on the facade of the atelier’s first headquarters, is one of the very few artisan workshops that creates masks according to the traditional method of the Serenissima, from the paper to the final decoration.
The atelier was born in the 80s from the passion of Franco Cecamore, master of art, and today it is his daughter Francesca who continues this tradition, creating, strictly by hand, any type of mask, from those of the Commedia dell’Arte to the most glamorous ones, in lace, Swarovski and feathers, or velvet.
Each mask is unique and its processing starts from a model of the face in clay or clay from which a negative mold is created on which the papier-mâché is placed, which is then left to harden and then extracted, finished and decorated.
Among the many original Kartaruga masks, the most iconic are the female face framed by feathers and the male one decorated with macramé lace-style motifs that were chosen by the producer of the film Eyes Wide Shut, Jan Harlan, on the recommendation of the costume designer of the film directed by Stanley Kubrick who had seen similar ones in a shop in Camden Town in London, which was supplied by Kartaruga.
The two masks, which have become famous throughout the world, were worn by Tom Cruise and the model Abigail Good in the cult scene of the film (if you want to learn more about the whole story, you can watch the beautiful documentary by Massimiliano Studer and Filippo Biagianti and produced by FormaCinema which reveals the whole story of the masks in the film).
There are many other productions and celebrities with which the Kartaruga atelier has collaborated over the years, such as David Bowie, on the occasion of the Louis Vuitton advertising campaign for which it provided some of the masks for the party starring in the commercial, the film Gambit by the Cohen brothers, for which it created the lion mask worn by Alan Rickman, Casanova for which it provided Heath Ledger’s bauta mask, or the garments for the boutiques of the famous Cirque du Soleil.
In addition to finding the mask of your dreams or commissioning one for events or audiovisual productions, at the Kartaruga Atelier it is also possible to book a visit in which, in addition to telling you the fascinating history of the Carnival, you can learn how to decorate a mask (which you can then take home with you).
The Secret
Venetian masks are made of papier-mâché, a recycled product made from waste paper soaked in boiling water and then shredded: the ideal material for their creation because it is very light, resistant and practically unbreakable. In addition to its featherweight and accurate finishing, a true Venetian artisan mask can also be recognized by the accentuated irregularities on the back, typical of the manual processing of papier-mâché.
Useful Info
Kartaruga Venezia
Calle delle Bande
Castello 5369 – 5370
30122 Venezia
Tel. +39 041 5210393