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The Masks of Commedia Dell'Arte

Visiting Secret Gallery you can se the handmade masks created in the original classic Italian style. Read the history of the masks:

Introduction to the Commedia Dell'Arte

Commedia Dell'Arte, also known as the improvised comedy (opposite to the literary comedy: Commedia Erudita) was born in the Italian Renaissance. A curios mixture of jugglers, mountebanks, magicians, prostitutes and court jesters got together and created professional theatre companies who could entertain noblemen as well as commoners with comedies which were improvised on the spot over previously exercised texts and tricks.

The fixed plot in the comedies was the same as in most comedies of intrigue: After a lot of complications the young lovers get each other, the servants get their reward and the old men are deceived: The rich persons want to protect their fortunes by arranging marriages between each others children. The barrister or the doctor of course wants to introduce their son or daughter into the rich family, while the young persons are falling in love contrary to all financial dispositions. The servants then make the intrigue to solve the Patience of Love getting their reward and access to the delicacies of the pantry

The social pyramid

The stock characters were known by everybody. At the top of the social pyramid we find the new plutocrats: The rich merchants, bankers and ship owners (of course you were not allowed to make fools of the clergy and nobility). Below the plutocrats we find a group of "parasites" ,officials, barristers, doctors and officers and in the bottom we find the large number of repressed and underpaid servants.

Below you will find the most popular masks in the traditional Commedia Dell'Arte. Click on the images to know more about the characters.

All masks are made by Torben Jetsmark. All masks are for sale, view the selection here.

Download and print PDF-file with the social pyramid. (approx 1 Mb)

Sculptures inspired by The Commedia Dell'Arte

Apart from Commedia dell'arte masks Secret gallery presents a number of sculptures representing variations on engravings by Jaques Callot: The dances from Sfessania.


In 1622 The French graphic designer Callot produced a number of little engravings inspired by ajourney through Tuscany. In the village Sfessania he had witnessed some old "fertility dances" which were performed every year in the spring during the fair. The dances were probably citizens of Sfessania and visiting mountebanks. Their costumes were obviously inspired by figures from The Italian Mask Comedy. The grotesque steps and the patched phalli indicate , that we are back to one of the sources of The Commedia Dell´Arte :Animal imitations, the parody of two fight cocks scuffling about the inviting hens.

Torben Jetsmark has improvised over the theme: Carnival, dance and fair using the commedia dell´arte character "Il Capitano" as the not always sober leading part. All the sculptures are about 30 cm in the height. Se the collection in "Secret Gallery" (only open on request).