Masquerade costume with two headdresses
Date20th century
Maker
Congolese
Maker
Pende
Maker
Gibuta
Label TextMasqueraders wearing fiber costumes usually serve as part of a Pende initiation cycle. Protruding cylindrical eyes signal a lesson in the awareness of death, uncertainty and difficulty for young initiates. Some masqueraders take aggressive stances, which would be reinforced by the bristling ruffs and feather corona that complete the multistriped net body suit.
Object number95.131
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Order and Border, February 26, 2010 - August 28, 2011Credit LineGift of Mark Groudine and Cynthia Putnam
Dimensions72in. (182.88cm)
wristlet: 12in. diameter x 3.5 high
pants: 41in. x 14in.
shirt: 24in. x 56in.
head: 15in. h x 14in. w
MediumFeathers, fiber, raffia, pigment, fur
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