The History Of The Venetian Mask

The History Of The Venetian Mask: "The history of the Venetian Mask is one which sounds as though it stems from fairytale or legend but which goes to show that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Way back in the 13th Century, Venice was more than just a small city in Italy. It was a very important part of Italy and was known by the name of the Venetian Republic. This Republic was small, with a population in the region of 150,000 people. Nonetheless, the Republic had a very successful trade, which was ship building, and was able to produce one battleship in as little as thirty days. This was a very fast turnaround, made possible by the fact that the shipyards employed 15,000 of the local residents, a staggering ten per cent of the state's overall population. In addition to the shipyards, the Venetian Republic required workforces in all other aspects of daily life. The Republic was a well oiled machine which functioned smoothly and well and this meant that the citizens of the Venetian Republic were wealthy and successful. This wealth, luxury and extravagance, coupled with the beauty of the state, made the Republic very appealing to the rest of the world." ... (Click on title link above to read entire article) ...