Egúngún Masquerade Dance Costume
Unknown Artist
1900s
Medium
cotton, velvet, flannel, dye, faux fur, leather, cowrie shells
Dimensions
167.6 × 66 × 40.6 cm
Classification
Mask
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Katherine C. White
Accession Number
1976.187
About this artwork
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 in...