Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Italy: Other manufacturers

[David Wilson]

Thank you for the likes, Sam, Jale and Angelo. And Jale, I love the expression "leaklooseness" as an antonym of "leaktightness"!

On today to the Tigullio diving mask known as "Brighella", which I note I misspelled as "Brughella" last time. Like Arlecchino (Harlequin), Brighella (above) was a stock commedia dell'arte character, whose early costume consisted of loosely fitting, white smock and pants with green trim and was often equipped with a batocio (also batacchio or battacio, depending on region) or slap stick, or else with a wooden sword. He is loosely categorised as one of the servant characters though he often was portrayed as a member of the middle class such as a tavern owner: his character could be adapted to whatever the needs to the scenario might be, just as Brighella himself is adaptable to any circumstance. He is essentially Arlecchino's smarter and much more vindictive older brother.

There follows a 1968 description of the Brighella mask. As you can see, the right-hand side of the caption is missing from the original scan, so I have had to guess what the omitted words were:

Italian: "BRIGHELLA (Tigullio). Maschera con compensatore, vetro temperato panoramico, reggetta in ABS, colore nero. Come tutte le maschere Tigullio, anche questa è in gomma neoprene trattata Sanitized. L 1.800."
Rough translation: "BRIGHELLA (Tigullio). Mask with compensator, panoramic tempered-glass lens, ABS rim, black colour. Like all Tigullio masks, this one is made of "Sanitized" treated neoprene rubber too. L 1,800."

Here is the mask again in 1969:

Interesting rendering of the Italian term "compensatori" (compensators) as "depth equalizers".

Some auction pictures of the Brighella mask:

So a relatively typical mask of the late 1960s fitted with a plastic rim around the tempered-glass window and compensator bosses on the inside to squeeze the nostrils when ear-clearing.

 

[David Wilson]

On to the second Tigullio diving mask of the day: the Pulcinella.

Pulcinella (above) is a classical character that originated in commedia dell'arte of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry. Pulcinella's versatility in status and attitude has captivated audiences worldwide and kept the character popular in countless forms since his introduction to commedia dell'arte in 1620. Pulcinella is a dualistic character: he either plays dumb, though he is very much aware of the situation, or he acts as though he is the most intelligent and competent, despite being woefully ignorant.

As for the Tigullio Pulcinella mask, I have had to employ a little guesswork again once again due to a truncated right-hand margin below in the 1968 text below:

Italian: "PULCINELLA (Tigullio). Maschera con compensatore, vetro temperato panoramico, con quattro combinazioni differenti di colori nella reggetta e nel telaio portavetro. Colori base: bianco, rosso, nero e giallo. Come le precedenti, ha un ampio campo visivo ed è di linea molto elegante. L. 2.300.
Rough translation: "PULCINELLA (Tigullio). Mask with compensator, panoramic tempered-glass lens, with four different combinations of colours in the rim and in the lens retaining frame. Basic colours: white, red, black and yellow. Like previous ones, it has a wide field of vision and has a very elegant outline. L. 2,300.

Here is the mask in 1969:

Caption: "Maschera "Pulcinella" con telaio, (in 4 colori), vetro temperato e compensatori. Mask "Pulcinella" with frame, (in 4 colours), tempered glass, depth equalizers."

Auction pictures:

As you can see, this compensator model came with or without a purge valve.

We'll finish off the Tigullio range of masks with the Gambero and the Grifo at the weekend and then proceed to review the company's snorkels. Keep well and stay safe until then.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Juts a note: in Italy these characters of "commedia dell'arte", but also used for puppets shows, are called... "maschere" (masks)!

And effectively most of them wear masks...

 

[David Wilson]

I'm grateful for tthe likes, Sam, Jale and Angelo.

Thank you too for explaining the puppetry connection of the commedia dell'arte characters, Angelo. As a teen, many years ago, I suspected that continental Europe had richer traditions in puppetry than the UK, where seaside Punch and Judy shows are all that remain of historical puppetry and they have virtually died out in the new millennium. The fact that the commedia dell'arte characters wore masks will have added to the determination of the Italian diving product namers to use these stock characters as a rich source of underwater mask names.

And now on today's brace of Tigullio diving masks: Gambero and Grifo. "Gambero" is Italian for "prawn", "shrimp" or "crayfish" (see above), which are swimming crustaceans. Auction images below, but I do not have a chronology for this product.

So a plain blue mask with a yellow plastic rim. No compensator for ear-clearing and minimum of manufacturer's markings.

 

[David Wilson]

"Grifo" is Italian for "griffin" (see above). The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and sometimes an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts, and the eagle the king of the birds, by the Middle Ages, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Since classical antiquity, griffins were known for guarding treasures and priceless possessions.

As for the Tigullio diving mask named after the griffin, here is a review from 1972:

Italian: "TIGULLIO: L'OCCHIALE « GRIFO » - Ha il volume interno d'aria ridotto al minimo, questa maschera prodotta dalla casa di Recco: il cristallo, infatti, sì trova in posizione arretrata rispetto al naso. Il corpo della maschera è in gomma di neoprene di colore nero, il cerchietto di plastica può essere celeste, rosso o giallo. La visibilità è ottima. L. 3000."
Rough translation: "TIGULLIO GRIFO GOGGLES - This mask manufactured by Recco company comes with internal volume of air reduced to a minimum: lens set back in fact from nose. Mask body made of black neoprene rubber, plastic rim may be light blue, red or yellow. Excellent visibility. L. 3000.

So a twin-lens nose-pocket goggle-style diving mask of a design growing in popularity during the 1970s. Below a series of auction pictures of the model:

Some time midweek we shall proceed to Tigullio breathing tubes and thence to Tigullio snorkel-masks. In the meantime, keep safe and stay well.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Sam, Jale and Angelo.

And now for Tigullio snorkels. Here is what appeared in the 1960 Tigullio catalogue:

Caption: "Art. 703-704 - Snorkel tube with or without automatic obturator and with mouthpiece. Suit all types."

So a choice of two J-shaped models, one with a float valve at the tip to exclude water when submerged, the other open-topped.

In 1969, two more Tigullio breathing tubes were launched:

Italian: "Snorkel anatomico, con tubo flessibile".
English: "Snorkel anatomic, with flexible tube."

Italian: "Snorkel anatomico, con tubo flessibile, semi-automatico".
English: "Snorkel anatomic, with flexible tube, semi-automatic."

The captions raise as many questions as they answer. The adjective "anatomic" may reference either the mouthpiece or the curvature of the tube to follow the contour of the head. "Semi-automatic" suggests a degree of control of water inflow when submerged, but there is no explanation how this may have been achieved; perhaps the answer lies in that joint at the centre of the barrel. Note the lanyard, which users would placed around their neck to prevent loss of the snorkel in currents.

 

[David Wilson]

We'll finish today with one of the models from what was an extensive Tigullio range of snorkel-masks. The 1960 catalogue listed no fewer than five.

The Tigullio Muggine snorkel-mask is named after the Italian word for "mullet" (above), a ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters with some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since Roman times.

The Muggine snorkel-mask's only appearance is in the 1960 Tigullio catalogue:

Caption: "Art. 506 « MUGGINE » In plastic material, similar to « MITILE » mask but with snorkel and automatic obturator".

A reminder of the Tigullio Mitile mask:

So the Muggine snorkel-mask is made from plastic and comes with a single breathing tube ending in a float valve to exclude water ingress when the tip sinks beneath the waves.

And there we'll leave it for today, returning midweek to review more Tigullio snorkel-masks. Until then, keep safe and stay well.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for ther likes, Sam, Jale and Angelo.

Tigullio's 1960 catalogue includes the following item:

Caption: "Art. 705. « CIGNO ». A new patented automatic obturator, perfectly watertight, regardless of the position."

"Obturator" was a term occasionally used in the late 1950s and early 1960s for the shut-off valve fitted to the tops of snorkel-masks and certain snorkel models to keep water out when the user submerged. "Cigno", Italian for "swan", is the product name of the "patented automatic obturator" pictured separately above right and attached to a breathing tube above left. The name "Cigno" may highlight a similarity between the combined shut-off valve and elbow illustrated and the curvature of a swan's neck. This resemblance may also have led Paul Dubois of the French diving equipment manufacturer Squale to call the snorkel-mask he designed "Cygne", which is French for "swan":

Dubois obtained a French patent for his "improved mask fitted with a periscope-like breathing tube" in 1963, while Giuseppe Stradella of Tigullio secured a French patent for his snorkel shut-off valve in 1962 and a US patent for the same "check valve" in 1964:

 

[David Wilson]

Like the Muggine, the two Mormora models in the Tigullio snorkel-mask range are named after a marine fish. "Mormora" is Italian for "sand steenbra" or "striped seabream" (above), which is found in shallow water in the Mediterranean Sea and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from France to South Africa. Unlike the Muggine, however, both Mormora snorkel-masks appeared in the Italian company's 1967 Tigullio catalogue as well as its 1960 edition.

Mormora 510 Single-Snorkel Model (1960)

Caption: "Art. 510. « MORMORA ». Single built-in snorkel mask, allows maximum underwater vision through a large size. With normal, plastic or hardened safety glass. High grade light blue rubber body with adjustable headstrap for comfortable, water-tight fit. Automatic safety obturator. Also in London smog or yellow colours."

Mormora 510 Single-Snorkel Model (1967)

Italian: "ART. 510 MORMORA taglia grande con respiratore."
English: "ART. 510 « MORMORA » rubber mask, with snorkel, large size."

 

[David Wilson]

Mormora 515 Twin-Snorkel Model (1960)

Caption: "Art. 515 « MORMORA ». This built-in snorkel mask gives full nose and eye protection for continuous and effortless breathing. Wide field of vision. With normal, plastic or hardened safety glass. Similar to Art. 510."

So much for the two Mormora Tigullio snorkel-masks. More from the range mid-week. In the meantime, stay well and keep safe.