Pantalone is the more traditional Venetian impersonation and mask. The name seems to come from the Greek “Panda Leonda”: “Powerful in all things”.
Pantalone represents the kind of style rich Venetian men would usually dress in the XVI century.
Red blouse and red pants, the long heavy black cape and hat, and slippers, sign of old age.
From merchant to rich nobleman, always having to deal with people trying to take his gold from him, always losing against wit and improvisation, at times even pleased for the trust he feels for the others, who on the other hand don't care for anything different than his money.
… e Pantalone paga!!! (… and Pantalone ends up paying!!) which became a way of complaining in Venice, after the Campoformio peace treaty (1797), in which Napoleon gave Venice to Austria, and, besides having lost their indipendence, the Venetians had to pay for heavy war expenses.
