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Ago Egungun (Masquerade) Headdress

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Bookmark: http://triarte.brynmawr.edu/objects-1/info/145800



unknown Yoruba
Yoruba Primary



Ago Egungun (Masquerade) Headdress

1915 - Late 20th century
Wood and metal with pigment

11 in. x 9 1/16 in. x 7 1/16 in. (28 cm x 23 cm x 18 cm)

Bryn Mawr College
Accession Number: 99.3.12
Other Number(s): 32 (Neufeld Collection Number)
Acquisition Date: 12/17/1997
Geography: Africa, Nigeria, Ogun, Abeokuta
Classification: Ceremonial and Performance Artifacts; Ritual Objects
Culture/Nationality: Yoruba, Nigerian, West African, African
Collection: Neufeld Collection

Keywords Click a term to view the records with the same keyword
This object has the following keywords:
  • African - Refers to the cultures of the continent of Africa, which is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
  • headdresses - Elaborate coverings or objects for the head, especially those worn for ceremonial or ornamental purposes.
  • masquerades - Gatherings of people wearing masks, disguises, or costumes, often of an elaborate or fantastic nature; activities often include dancing. In Western cultures they tend to be simply recreational, while in others, notably African, they are important ceremonies.
  • Nigerian
  • scarifications - Refers to permanent marks, such as symbols, patterns, or other designs, made on human skin by scarring, done for social or cultural reasons or for personal decoration.
  • West African - Styles and cultures from the region comprising the westernmost area of the African continent, defined by the United Nations as including the modern nations of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
  • wood - The principal tissue of trees and other plants that provides both strength and a means of conducting nutrients. Wood is one of the most versatile materials known.
  • Yoruba

Additional Images Click an image to view a larger version

  • Owner Name: Ladislas Segy (1904-1988), The Segy Gallery (New York, New York)
    Role: Collector and Dealer
    Disposal Method: Public Auction
    Ownership End Date: 1976 or Before


  • Owner Name: Mace Neufeld and Helen Katz Neufeld, Class of 1953
    Role: Donor
    Place: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, US
    Ownership Start Date: 1976 or before
    Ownership End Date: 12/17/1997


Bibliography List
The following Bibliography exist for this object:
  • Ladislas Segy, Masks of Black Africa Dover Publications. New York, New York, 1976
    Figure Number: 157
  • "African Heritage Document and Research Center." (Accessed June 11, 2020): AHDRC.eu. Record No.: 0179560.

Comparanda List
The following Comparanda exist for this object:
  • Frank Willett, African Art (London, England: Thames & Hudson, 2002), 161. Figure Number: 171
  • Sarah Watson Parsons, "Interpreting Projections, Projecting Interpretations: A Reconsideration of the "Phallus" inEsu Iconography." African Arts 32, no. 2 (Summer 1999): 37, 40, 43.
  • Moyo Okediji, "Art of the Yoruba ." Art Institute of Chicago - Museum Studies 23, no. 2 (1997): 175, 177, Figure Number: 30, 32.
  • "Fowler Museum at UCLA Online Collections." (Accessed April 7, 2020): https://www.fowler.ucla.edu/collections/home/. Accession No.:X65.9051.
    Additional Image X65.9051
    X65.9051
  • "The Collection." The Art Institute of Chicago Online Collections Database. (Accessed April 9, 2020): Art Institute Chicago, https://www.artic.edu/collection. Accession No.: 1969.240.
  • "The Collection." The Art Institute of Chicago Online Collections Database. (Accessed April 9, 2020): Art Institute Chicago, https://www.artic.edu/collection. Accession No.: 1991.396.
  • Suzanne Preston Blier, Gestures in African Art (New York, NY: L. Kahan Gallery, 1982), 48, 70. Figure Number: 40

Related Bibliography List
The following Related Bibliography exist for this object:
  • Moyo Okediji, "Art of the Yoruba ." Art Institute of Chicago - Museum Studies 23, no. 2 (1997): 165-198.
  • Sarah Watson Parsons, "Interpreting Projections, Projecting Interpretations: A Reconsideration of the "Phallus" inEsu Iconography." African Arts 32, no. 2 (Summer 1999): 36-91.
  • Frank Willett, African Art (London, England: Thames & Hudson, 2002), 161.

Portfolio List Click a portfolio name to view all the objects in that portfolio
This object is a member of the following portfolios:

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=BMC>cite web |url=http://triarte.brynmawr.edu/objects-1/info/145800 |title=Ago Egungun (Masquerade) Headdress |author=Bryn Mawr College Library Special Collections |accessdate=4/19/2024 |publisher=Bryn Mawr College</ref>

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