The larva or volto (»ghost« and »face«, respectively) is a commonly worn type of Venetian Carnival mask. It is an egg-round full-face mask with a blank expression and somewhat feminine features; it is used by both sexes and often inordinately highly decorated in this day and age, although the original form was, as the name implies, just white. It is made of papier-mâché or sometimes, these days, out of plaster or porcelain, if made for decorative purposes, to be hung on a wall or the like.

It is impossible to eat in a larva, since the edge of the mask curls under the chin and any mouth-hole is liable to be a mere slit, and the humongous plumes with which the mask is commonly adorned make it more inconvenient still; nevertheless, it retains a strong popularity because of the large surface it provides for decoration with spangles, gilding, arabesques and so forth. On account of its blank expression it also lends itself easily to being worked into a themed costume.

175