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Unknown Maker, Yoruba

Egúngún Masquerade Ensemble

Maker

Unknown Maker, Yoruba

Culture

Yoruba

Title

Egúngún Masquerade Ensemble

Year

2015

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

Height: 182.9 cm (72 inches) (as worn)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

2016.32

Type

Articles

Egúngún / Mysteries Concealed in Magical Cloth
Cloth as Metaphor in Egungun Costumes

See attached pdf

Exhibition History

Whirling Return of the Ancestors
Egúngún Masquerade Ensembles of the Yorùbá
Jul 15, 2016 – Jan 08, 2017

Label copy

This newly commissioned costume is emblematic of the spirit of collaboration, continuity, and innovation in Egúngún artistry. Priest-devotees and artists created it using colorful green and red sequins and choice fabrics from around the world, expressing the dynamic changes and interactions of our globalized era. At the same time, the makers honored the past in the animal imagery: monkeys, elephants, goats, snakes, butterflies, and lions are deeply associated with mythic histories and legends concerning the veneration of ancestors.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Yoruba
Egúngún Masquerade Ensemble, 2015
Textiles embellished with sequins and cowrie shells
Height: 182.9 cm (72 inches) (as worn)
Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund 2016.32

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