Casanova and Henriette 卡薩諾瓦與亨利埃特 カサノバとアンリエット

Every Venetian carnival has a theme, and the 2025 Venice Carnival's Theme is “In the time of Casanova” (“Il Tempo di Casanova” in Italian), to honor the 300th anniversary of Giacomo Casanova's birth.

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and published posthumously as Histoire de ma vie ("The Story of My Life"). That work has come to be regarded as a unique and provocative source of information on the customs and norms of European social life in the 18th century.

Born to a family of actors, Casanova studied law at the University of Padua and received minor orders in the Catholic Church with a view towards pursuing a career as a canon lawyer. However, he had no enthusiasm for the law or vocation for the church, and he soon abandoned those plans and launched instead upon an itinerant life as a gambler, violinist, confidence trickster, and man of letters. Throughout his life, Casanova obtained money and other advantages from various aristocratic patrons by pretending to possess alchemical, cabbalistic, and magical secret knowledge. Among other exploits, Casanova escaped from the Piombi prison, to which he had been confined by order of the Venetian Council of Ten for offenses against religion and morals, and later helped convince the authorities of the Kingdom of France to establish a state lottery as a source of revenue.

The most notorious aspect of Casanova's career are his many complicated sexual affairs with women, stretching from his early adolescence to his old age, which he described in detail in his autobiography. As a consequence of this, Casanova's name has become a byword for a male seducer and libertine, like "Lothario" or "Don Juan". He spent his final years in Bohemia, where he served as librarian to the household of Count Waldstein and resided at Dux Castle.

In Giacomo Casanova's "Histoire de ma vie," Henriette is a prominent figure, representing a significant and perhaps the deepest love he ever experienced, a woman who combined beauty, intelligence, and culture.

Casanova met Henriette in 1749, near Milan, where she was traveling with a Hungarian officer, disguised as a man. Casanova was immediately captivated by her, and his love for her grew stronger when he saw her in a dress and learned of her intelligence and cultivated nature. They spent three months together, and Casanova described their relationship as "heavenly," with nothing to disturb their happiness. 

He was twenty-three and she was significantly older, perhaps by up to ten years.  At the time, Casanova’s behaviour in Venice had brought upon him the unwanted attentions of the Venetian inquisition and so he had decided to make himself scarce.  In January 1748, he had left Venice to tour northern Italy.  Henriette’s background was, and remains, somewhat mysterious.  She was an aristocrat and highly educated who, when Casanova encountered her, was fleeing to Parma from an unhappy marriage. 

Henriette mysteriously left Casanova in Geneva, summoned by her family, and Casanova tearfully watched her leave. Before she left, she engraved a message on the hotel window with a diamond ring he had given her: "You will forget Henriette". Despite the message, Casanova did not forget Henriette, and he wrote about their love in his memoirs almost 50 years later. Casanova admired Henriette's intelligence, her affectionate kindness, and her ability to make him happy. Casanova's perspective: "They who believe that a woman is incapable of making a man equally happy all the twenty-four hours of the day have never known an Henriette." 

Casanova's love for Henriette was one of the most intense and memorable of his life, so much so that he described it with great passion in his memoirs. Henriette, a French woman of noble origins and extraordinary intelligence, stood out as an exception among Casanova's other relationships. Their love story, which lasted only three months, was marked by a deep emotional and intellectual connection. Henriette was a strong and independent woman, qualities that fascinated Casanova. Despite his vanity and ego, Henriette treated him as an equal, even laughing at his initial declarations of love. This balance of power in their relationship was rare for Casanova, who often found himself dominating his love affairs. Henriette, on the other hand, maintained control, deciding both the beginning and the end of their relationship. Casanova described Henriette as a woman capable of making him completely happy, and the memory of her remained vivid in his heart for his entire life. Even after their separation, he continued to regard her as a myth, a love that would never be equaled. In his memoirs, he writes, "Every time I think of her, a balm soothes my heart," highlighting the lasting impact Henriette had on him. This love story, though brief, represented a unique experience for Casanova—a moment of pure happiness that continued to inspire and haunt him in the years that followed. A love that, despite time and distance, remained indelible in his memory.

Among the most anticipated events of the Venice Carnevale, , La Maschera Più Bella stands out most prominently. This year, daily parades of the costume competition were held on: February 15, February 16, February 22, February 23, February 27, February 28, and March 1, 2025. There were three heats on each day: at 12:00, at 16:00, at 17:00. A winner was picked on each day, who will then be able to access the final, scheduled on Sunday 2 March at 4:00 pm. Here, the best masks will compete for the title of Most Beautiful Mask of the 2025 Carnival, in a crescendo of emotion and thrill.

Louis Quinze's Casanova and Henriette is actually part of a trio, combining with The Nun from Murano to form  The Many Loves of Casanova. Naturally, they are the winners for "The most beautiful mask with a Casanova theme" at this year's Venice Carnevale.

The Venice Carnevale is not solely about masks. Local Italians prefer historical costumes or painted faces. During Carnevale, the whole Venice becomes a real life theatrical stage, and many of these historical costumes carry deep perspectives...

And as usual, the portraits are just done on the busy streets of Venice and using natural lighting only...