Commedia Dell Arte Masks Capitano

The captain uses bravado and excessive shows of manliness to hide his true cowardly nature.

Commedia dell arte masks capitano.

This mask reflects the severity of the stock character as well as celebrating his egoistic characteristics. Capitano stock character of the italian commedia dell arte. Engraving by abraham bosse. Representing spanish mercinary soldiers.

This capitano commedia mask is one of the more architectural designs in the collection. An unsympathetic character he was originally a parody of the french and spanish mercenaries who overran 16th century italy. The capitano penenaso commedia mask combines the energies of a pig and an eagle. He most likely was never a captain but rather appropriated the name for himself.

One of the earliest of the commedia characters he was a descendant of the miles gloriosus the braggart soldier of ancient roman comedy. This specific capitano represents cocodrillo crocodile and comes from classically trained mask maker alan g. 89 00 capitano is the braggart soldier. Leather masks commedia dell arte dellarte dell arte delarte del arte art.

Newman has used the 17th century engravings of jaques callot to create a variety of takes on the shabby bombastic and cowardly capitano and created a few new. He wears a mask over half of his face that highlights his bulbous nose. To learn more about commedia dell arte see pierre louis duchartre the italian comedy dover pubs 1966. Despised by the italians and ridiculed in the theatre of the marketplace il capitano became a popular stock character of the commedia dell arte.

The captain masks were originally flesh colored with a menacing nose to represent a bullying personality. Click on a photo for more details. Masks were originally all made of leather but now more commonly made of neoprene. He was the prototype of a pretentious but cowardly military man.

Commedia dell arte masks are one of the most integral aspects of each stock character. Capitano is the braggert soldier always ready for a fight and prepared to run and retreat as soon as any real danger presents itself. Il capitano il kapiˈtaːno italian for the captain is one of the four stock characters of commedia dell arte. Il dottore in commedia dell arte is usually dressed in the traditional style of a medieval doctor with a huge black suit often with a ruff and a notary s beret or large doctor s cap.

He is filled with bravado but the first to run at the slightest sign of danger.