For twenty-six years in Santa Fosca, a Venetian craftsman, Roberto Comin, has been delighting in the creation of curious and bizarre marionettes. Roberto was born in Venice in a house near the Misericordia, and even as a boy, he enjoyed making puppets and marionettes. His craftsmanship saw its greatest development during three formative years spent in the Tuscan countryside in the workshop of what would become his master.
This experience was the spark that allowed him, once he returned to Venice, to open what has been his workshop for twenty-six years. Entering his domain today, located on the first floor of an 18th-century building, which was once a painting studio and later a chandelier warehouse (as evidenced by the chandelier pieces Roberto found in the apartment and hung from the ceiling beams as perfect decorations), one can breathe a dreamlike and surreal atmosphere. The marionettes are crafted using natural materials and following traditional construction techniques, including the use of an eight-string cross to maneuver them. The bodies are made of wood while the feet, head, and hands are molded from wood paste and hand-painted.
The clothes and costumes are designed and prepared by Roberto’s sister, a seamstress specializing in Venetian Carnival costumes. It takes Roberto an average of fifteen days to make a marionette, averaging six marionettes per month, as he works on several at once. His creations are exclusive, bearing witness to an ancient and now unfamiliar tradition. In the past, marionettes were used in private theaters to entertain guests with performances that mixed satire and wonder.
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