1995.35 Egungun costume

The Egungun masquerade is a multimedia event that is held annually and takes place in the family compound and throughout the village or town. The daytime celebration honors the ancestors and recently departed and brings them back from the afterlife to bless their descendants and survivors. The ancestors, represented by masks always worn by male dancers, grant their survivors' petitions for protection from harm, bountiful prosperity, children, and good health. The masquerade makes the ancestors visible and provides a means of communication between the immortal and mortal worlds.

This colorful Egungun costume is composed of layers of Nigerian and European textiles that have been cut into panels and bound with contrasting fabrics and colors. The costume completely concealed the dancer and was probably accessorized with gloves and footwear. There are panels of cotton velveteen, silk, wool, and cotton damask with a variety of figurative and geometric motifs, all expensive imports fit for a king or other high-ranking members of society. At its core is the initial layer that covers the dancer from head to toe. A rectangular mesh panel near the top of the costume allows for visibility. Each year family members add another layer of cloth, always continuing the symmetrical format, to refurbish the costume before the festival. The costume is adorned with mirrors, buttons, and metal coinlike forms. Despite its great size, the male masker performs intricate steps, and he spins and twirls around, causing the colorful panels to fly out in all directions. The motion of the cloth is said to be "a breeze of blessing" from the ancestor.

The year this costume was created in not known precisely; however, it may offer an intriguing clue to its age, or at least contributes to the study of Yoruba commemorative cloths, which are used for the installation of a medallion motif. The upside-down image in the medallion is that of a white-wigged European male, who is identified as "Lawyer Wells Palmer" and to whom someone was grateful, as indicated by the word adupe (thank you) that is printed opposite his name. A judgment of the British Court issued in March 1931 identifies Wells Palmer as counsel for the appellant who was His Royal Highness Eshugbayi Eleko, the king (oba) of Lagos from 1900 until 1925 when he was deposed. According to a genealogy of the obas of Lagos, Eshugbayi Eleko regained the throne in 1931 but served only one year before he died. In the absence of other cloths that thank other members of the king's legal team, one can assume Palmer was the most deserving of recognition. The mystery remains to be solved.

1995: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from Gail Martin Gallery, New York

The main source for this provenance is the copy of the invoice dated March 1, 1995, in the Collections Records object file (1995.35).

Apply to objects where number equals 1995.35