Masks

Heir to Greek theatre, Roman theatre did not use masks for its representations that from the first century BCE. Whether it is tragedies (Accius or Pacuvius) or comedies (Plautus or Terence) the use of mask was initially of a technical nature, this accessory then serving as a megaphone so that all the spectators can hear the play. A curious character (Francesco de Ficoroni) (1664-1747) (man of great erudition, collector, antique dealer and archaeologist) has collected in a small book dozens of these masks belonging to the Roman theatrical tradition, thanks to which we can discover how much these masks could have become, in themselves and in themselves, objects of art in their own right: a fascinating and sumptuous, which everyone will now be able to experience by browsing these pages.