Gail Martin Gallery Image Enlargement

Ancient, antique and ethnographic textiles
 Africa

A632  EGUNGUN MASQUERADE DANCE COSTUME
NIGERIA, YORUBA PEOPLE  20th century

This Egungun costume is characterized by an attached head covering and footed pants.  It is made of local indigo dyed hand woven striped cotton cloth (three different striped patterns) in 4” wide loom widths sewn together to create a tunic with attached sleeves which is underneath the long flaps which are made up of a variety of plain, brocade, velvet, embroidered and printed trade cloths (one piece is a Russian print of an Uzbek ikat).  This variety of fabrics are pieced together to form the long flaps which are attached to the tunic. 

There is crocheted cotton netting covering the front ofthe head from which the wearer can peer out while wearing the costume. When in use the dancer twirls about so that the flaps flare out about him as he twirls.

73” high X 38” wide as displayed with ‘natural shoulders’ on the stand in the photograph