Why Was The Moretta Mask So Popular?

Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Flirting with a woman who wore a Moretta mask was a challenge for a man because she couldn’t speak, and you hand no idea what impression you made on her.

It’s difficult to imagine the Moretta mask could become a modern fashion trend today. With a few exceptions perhaps, most women do like to show their beauty, but this unusual face coverage was very popular about 300 years ago? Why is that?

Moretta Mask Became A Seduction Tool

Made of black velvet, and hiding the woman’s features the Moretta mask was very popular in Venice in the 18th century. In fact, it was one of the most fascinating Venetian masks ever created.

Woman wearing a moretta in Pietro Longhi’s The Rhinoceros. Credit: Public Domain

It may sound like a contradiction that hiding your face would attract attention. Women usually want to show how attractive they can be, but the Moretta mask concealed the woman’s actual treasure, her face.

By hiding her identity, a woman became more mysterious and thus more attractive. The problem for the man was that she couldn’t talk. “A button held between the teeth, rendering the wearer mute. It’s no wonder the moretta, meaning “dark,” was also sometimes called the “servetta muta,” or “mute servant.” ¹

A man had to try to win her favors without being able to talk to her and if he succeeded, she would take off her mask and thus reveal herself to her cavalry.

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“Removing the Moretta mask, the lady offered not only the longed-for sight of her face but also the sound of her voice, considered a faithful mirror of the soul. Only the truly fortunate had the privilege to admire that face and to hear her voice, but it would have taken a brave man to seduce a woman without knowing what he was getting – as well as bold since he would have had to convince her to reveal her secret.” ²

The reasoning behind hiding your face and wearing the Moretta mask was simply different in those days. The Moretta mask was undoubtedly a powerful seduction tool, but it also had other purposes.

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