Graziano Viale | Vetrine dell'Artigiano Artistico

Graziano Viale

"Su Cherbu" mask

With its elegant great horns, the deer, Su Cherbu, a traditional Carnival mask of Ottana, offers the figure of animal in a magical and ritual reinterpretation.

Graziano Viale|Cabras
"Su Boe" mask

The Su Boe mask, a distinctive traditional Carnival mask of Ottana, features its frightening and elegant beauty, a great study of the animal features, the ox, that becomes the object of worship in the performance of a magic ritual.

Graziano Viale|Cabras
Mamuthones mask

This mask in dark brown hide strikingly reinterprets the grotesque Mamuthones mask, a fascinating yet frightening figure of the traditional carnival of Mamoiada.

Graziano Viale|Cabras
Phoenician-Punic Mask

This evocative mask in natural hide revives the characteristic expression of the well-known grotesque grinning masks in Phoenician-Punic terracotta.

Graziano Viale|Cabras
Sartiglia Mask

This captivating hide mask characterised by an elegant face with plain features is taken from the evocative and famous mask of the Sartiglia, an equestrian celebration of the traditional carnival of Oristano.

Graziano Viale|Cabras

The artisan

Graziano Viale's masks express the charisma of metamorphoses, magic and theatre, behind the ability change face and transform an image. Being native of North Italy, a tireless traveler and storyteller, Graziano arrived in Sardinia with the curiosity and the ability to investigate identity in the souls of the peoples and to create the evocative and ever-changing faces of tradition. Its leather masks designed internally by Safir, are beautifully designed to be worn, dedicated to the world of theatre and performance as well as individual enthusiasts, who are sensitive to the charm of masks and their symbolic and decorative power. He constantly collaborates in classical theater and avant-garde projects and its masks are found in many Italian theatres, in the rest of Europe and worldwide. He develops cultural projects and collaborates with Italian schools with seminars and workshops on the history and creation of leather masks.

The collection

His mask production, made of high quality leather, are divided into different themes: The commedia dell'arte, the Masks of Sardinia , the Greek Theatre, the Phoenician Punic Masks, are skilfully studied by the artisan to obtain aesthetic elegance and finesse from each artifacts. Available in several sizes, they are designed to be worn or used as a decorative object of great visual value.

The technique

The creation of the leather mask is the result of a preliminary study made of clay to calibrate distances and the proportions of anatomical details. From this first study, the craftsman produces the final model carved in wood or resin on which the leather is modelled carefully during modelling.