Authentic Vintage MondoNovo Venezia \"Satiro\" Mask by Guerrino Lovato RARE 1980s For Sale

Authentic Vintage MondoNovo Venezia \"Satiro\" (Satyr) Mask by Guerrino Lovato RARE 1980s
This is an authentic papier-mâché Venetian carnival mask created by Guerrino Lovato at his historic Mondonovo Maschere workshop. Where he also crafted the masks for the movie Eyes Wide Shut.
Mondonovo Maschere is the iconic Venetian workshop founded in 1978 by master mask-maker Guerrino Lovato in Dorsoduro, Venice.
Measures approximately:9.5 wide by 11\" tall
Condition: Vintage - it is is excellent shape for its age. Only very minor paint loss - All mache is in tact. See photosThe Character:In the tradition of Commedia dell\'arte and Venetian theatrical history, the Satiro represents a wild, untamed creature of nature closely associated with the mythology of Pan and Bacchus.
Traditionally worn during the Carnival of Venice and in everyday 18th-century Venetian life, the Satyr moves with erratic, primal energy, incorporating jumps, crouching, and goat-like bounding across the stage.The character acts as a physical manifestation of unbridled lust, gluttony, and mischief, constantly pursuing nymphs, lovers, or wine.
The Structure: Crafted using centuries-old plaster negative techniques, it includes traditional fabric tie ribbons fastened to the sides for wearing or wall mounting. Handcrafted from papier-mâché and hand-painted and aged with a wax/porcelain finish.
Workshop Heritage: Guerrino Lovato (celebrated as the \"King of Masks\") ran the legendary Mondonovo studio in Venice\'s Dorsoduro district from 1978 until its closure, making his pieces highly collectible.
Guerrino Lovato is widely celebrated as the \"King of Masks\" in Venice, recognized for almost single-handedly reviving the lost, high-art tradition of Venetian cartapesta (papier-mâché) during the late 20th century
Academic Foundations: Lovato graduated from the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. Instead of viewing mask-making as a cheap tourist souvenir craft, he treated it as a complex sculptural and historical discipline
The Mondonovo Legacy: He founded the famous Mondonovo Maschere workshop in Venice’s Dorsoduro district in 1978. For over three decades, the studio served as an active workshop, library-archive, and cultural epicenter for traditional Italian theater design
The \"Truth\" of Disguise: Lovato famously operated on a philosophy centered on an Oscar Wilde quote: \"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.\"
Major Career Achievements & Hollywood WorkBeyond creating individual collectible masks, Lovato became a prominent set designer, sculptor, and author:Eyes Wide Shut (1999): Director Stanley Kubrick commissioned Lovato to design and create roughly 80 custom masks for the film\'s iconic, secretive masquerade ball scene.Venice Carnival Restoration: Lovato spent many years officially organizing and directing historical aspects of the modern Venice Carnival, helping to restore its accurate historical and theatrical roots
Current Status: The Museum-WorkshopLovato closed the physical Venice storefront in 2011. To preserve his lifelong legacy, he transferred his personal collection of 250 complete works, over 500 historic plaster molds, and his original workshop tools to the town of Malo (near Vicenza, Italy). Today, this collection lives on inside the eighteenth-century Palazzo Corielli as the Mondonovo Mask Museum