OUR
PHILOSOPHY
From a deep friendship and a shared passion for the culture of Venetian art, in 1993 Edoardo and Marco combined their craft skills to create the "Il Campiello" mask workshop.
Located in a splendid Venetian Villa dating back to 1574, home of the Counts Malvolti, the workshop enjoys an inspiring setting with its vast parks and centuries-old trees.
With the aim of transmitting the traditional nature of Venetian masks, we strive to preserve the slow production process, the result of centuries of history, almost unchanged.
From water and soil we draw clay, the splendid ornamental stuccoes in gold leaf, direct our decorations. The infinite ranges of colours of the sky blend with the lagoon mantle. All mixed up with papier-mâché in perfect harmony. Everything that surrounds us in this wonderful city on the water is a source of inspiration in the creation of our traditional masks.
The creation begins with clay, and gives birth to unique models that are completely handmade. The artists range from classic commedia dell'arte masks to elegant decorative objects, blending together noble materials such as gold leaf, Murano glass, damask fabrics and papier-mâché. All of this is done at the pace of traditional craftsmanship... With no rush. Creating art works that go beyond a simple mask and making them proudly distinguished them throughout the world.
The uniqueness of Venice.
Why "il Campiello"?
It is often said that Venice is unique. Well, it is indeed! Even in its "squares", since, unlike what people believe, there is only one square: St. Mark's. The rest are called "campo", "calle" and "campiello". The heart of Venice beats in those small places where people whisper. Carlo Goldoni knew it well, and described them in a wonderful play which gave birth to those typical characters that have become the masks we all know. From those windows overlooking the intimacy of every Venetian; love, laughter, brawls and drinking are part of everyday life. We like to think that it is precisely from those small windows, on those intertwined threads, that there are not normal clothes being hung... but masks from the Commedia dell'Arte, that have become an integrative part of everyday life.
THE ARTISANS
Edoardo Callegari
Concept & Design, modeling, decoration.
Studio
Villa Malvolti
Marco Pettenà
Papier-mâché creations, decoration, photography, social media marketing.