The purpose of the mask was to keep out deadly smells that were thought to be the principal cause of the disease.įast forward a few hundred years later the medical purpose of the Plague Doctor mask has long been forgotten. Plague Doctor Costume: Plague Doctor masks remain a popular choice today despite their unique and scary past history. The beaks were filled with pleasant senses so doctors could avoid the smells of death and illness as they tended towards sick patients. The beaks were filled with dried flowers such as roses and carnations, herbs including lavender and peppermint, or spices. The beaks had two horizontal cuts on the side of the masks to let air pass through. Plague masks beaks were not just for artistic reasons. Initially not directly connected to the carnival, the Plague Doctor gradually found its way into the festival, morbidly playing with the notion of death while associated with the transitory recalling the fleeting that becomes reversed during the frolic festivities. Consisting of an ankle-length overcoat and a bird-like beak mask, often filled with sweet or strong smelling substances, along with gloves, boots, a wide-brimmed hat, and an outer over-clothing garment the Plague Doctor outfit made for a unique and impressive look.ĬHECK OUT OUR PLAGUE DOCTOR MASKS IN OUR STORE – CLICK HEREĪ maritime city of immense international traffic, Venice was constantly exposed to the transmission of pathogens imported from foreign nations which subsequently facilitated the contraction of diseases and plagues such as the pest. The costume was worn in Italy during the 17th century. Beak), a plague doctor in seventeenth-century Rome, circa 1656 Though the beak mask has become an iconic symbol of the Black Death, there is no evidence it was actually worn during the 14th Century epidemic. Most plague doctor masks lack this feature today.
Originally, the mask’s eye holes were sealed by two pieces of glass for an added layer of protection. With the belief, it would have protected them from infected patients. It was worn by doctors and physicians as a medical uniform.
Lorme wrote the mask had a “nose half a foot long, shaped like a beak, filled with perfume with only two holes, one on each side near the nostrils, but that can suffice to breathe and to carry along with the air one breathes the impression of the drugs enclosed further along in the beak.”
#HISTORY OF THE PLAGUE DOCTOR FULL#
French physician Charles de Lorme, started wearing a full face mask with a hollow beak while treating plague victims. The history of the Plague Doctor masks goes back to the 16th Century. Once a terrifying symbol of death, today a Plague Doctor costume is increasingly a popular choice by carnival goers or as a Halloween costume. The costume is also associated with a commedia dell’arte character called Il Medico della Peste who wears a distinctive plague doctor’s mask.
A half-mask with an exaggerated nose, it stands out for its bird-like features such as a long beak and small, round holes for the eyes. Plague Doctor costume masks, also known as the ‘Medico della Peste’ are arguably the most historically ghoulish but also one of the more distinctive masks of the Carnivale of Venice.
0 kommentar(er)
