A Lady Holding a Fan and a Mask

This study of a Venetian lady holding both a fan and a mask, drawn around 1700-1710, captures two of the most distinctive accessories of Venetian feminine social life — the fan and the bauta mask that permitted anonymous social interaction during carnival. Together, fan and mask embodied the simultaneously open and concealed nature of Venetian female social behavior: the fan as a language of visible communication, the mask as a tool of identity concealment. Carlevarijs's documentation of this combination reflects his understanding that Venetian social performance was as much a subject for visual record as its architecture. The study would have served as a reference for female figures in his ceremonial vedute.

The lady's accessories — fan and mask — are rendered with clear descriptive detail as they were essential identifying elements. The costume is painted with attention to its social signifiers, using color and outline to convey both fashion and status.