Egúngún Masquerade Dance Costume

Description

Swirling into motion, egúngún masquerade costumes appear during annual festivities to bless the community. Manifesting ancestral spirits, they serve as a bridge between the living and the otherworld. The fabric panels create a dwelling place for ancestral spirits. Arranged and selected according to Yorùbá design sense (ojú-ọnà), this mask incorporates hundreds of African, Asian, and European fabrics. These include imported damasks, velvets, faux furs, and embroideries, as well as local indigo-dyed cottons.

Provenance

Katherine C. White (?–1977); The Cleveland Museum of Art by gift (1977–)

Egúngún Masquerade Dance Costume

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1900s

Accession Number

1976.188

Medium

cotton, velvet, flannel, leather, dye, probably wood, cowrie shells, metal

Dimensions

Overall: 152.4 x 58.4 x 40.6 cm (60 x 23 x 16 in.)

Classification

Mask

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Katherine C. White