Commedia Dell Arte Masks Zanni

The zanni can be recognized with good approximation as the matrix on which other masks were created.

Commedia dell arte masks zanni.

The english word zany derives from this persona. Harlequin for instance had especially in his first years so much of the zanni character that was almost a reflection of it. He s the forefather of both harlequin and brighella and may explain why some demoniac features are associated with these masks. Some of the zannis shown are taken from traditional commedia characters others invented by newman or borrowed from contemporary maskers the character stupino created by gina bastone.

It developed from here into a half mask covering the upper half of the face only with an extended long nose. They express the performer s character social class and attitude. In the early days of commedia dell arte the zanni mask used in the theatre was a full face mask with a long nose. Dei zanni the zanni was a generic term for the commedia dell arte itself.

Zanni zani or zane is a character type of commedia dell arte best known as an astute servant and a trickster. He represents the figure of the servant with coarse and instinctual ways of doing often related to sex and hunger. We ve been talking about harlequin and identified him as a zanni character but who is zanni. Zanni is a character type of commedia dell arte best known as an astute servant and trickster.

Zanni masks the name zanni is roughly equivalent to the english term joe schmoe a real nobody. In the drottningholm theatre museum stockholm. The longer the nose on the mask then the more stupid was the character. They communicate to the audience the nature of the actor.

Courtesy of the drottningholms teatermuseum stockholm. In later times we also have a primo and secondo zanni that in a certain way replicate that situation the smart. Through time the zanni grew to be a popular figure who was first seen in commediaas early as the 14th century. The zanni mask collection commedia masks are character and statement creators.

Zanni harlequin left and probably scapin right with pantaloon centre detail from the gelosi company 1580. Zanni was a character of the comic theater of the ancient rome later became mask of the commedia dell arte.