In the earliest centuries, the masks and costumes were much simpler than they are today. As the carnival evolved the dress code for costumes became stricter and by the seventeenth century two primary costumes had emerged. Men wore a costume called a Baùta while women wore the Moretta. Baùta consists of a tricorn hat, black and red cape, and a white mask. The mask has a furrowed brow, an exaggerated nose, and no mouth; only a protruding chin that allows the wearer to eat and drink without revealing his face. Moretta is a dark velvet mask that is held in place by a button in the mouth. Because of this construction, the character is often called Moretta muta (mute Moretta). The carnival gained its greatest renown during the eighteenth century when elites from around Europe traveled to participate in the festivities. The carnival was outlawed late in that century after Venice came under the domination of France and then Austria before being incorporated into the Italian Republic in 1866. The tradition persisted in private and on small islands in the lagoon but didn’t return as the carnival we know today until 1979.
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