Carnival is one of the most vivid expressions of Italian culture: a collective celebration where tradition, folklore, and creativity come together. One of its most distinctive elements is papier-mâché, the material at the heart of masks and allegorical floats. Light and flexible, it is far more than a mix of paper and glue, rags and plaster. It is considered a “noble” material because of the skill and control required to shape it.
Its origins are ancient, and art history itself records its use in the creation of remarkable works. Neapolitan nativity scenes offer a well-known example, but they are far from the only one. Papier-mâché appears repeatedly in artistic practice. Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Alessandro Algardi employed it in theatrical and scenographic settings, while Donatello, another towering figure, used layers of glued paper to give form to some of his works.
