How to recognise a craft Venice mask

When we look at a mask, we are struck by its bright colours, but how can we tell the difference between a properly made mask and a mask of the highest quality?

The secret is not to be dazzled by glittering sequins, but to go straight to the substance.

The back of the mask will tell you whether you have a handmade product or an industrial product made of plastic or pressed cardboard.

Take the mask, turn it over to look at the inside and what you need to notice are the "imperfections" that only a handmade work can achieve. You have to notice the overlapping of the paper. A smooth or uniformly grainy mask is an indication of a product made of pressed cardboard or worse still, plastic. Attention to this detail is very important, not only for the preservation of local craftsmanship but for the quality of your purchase itself.

The advantages of a handmade mask are many; the greater elasticity makes it less fragile, the full-bodied vitality of the colour given by the absorption in the paper, but above all the depth of the features of the mask which, due to technical limitations, cannot be reproduced by industrial presses.

Therefore, when you buy your Venetian mask, pay the right attention to it so that you can take home a true object of local craftsmanship.