Dance costume
Artist Unidentified
20th century, 1950–75
Object PlaceCote d'Ivoire
Medium/TechniqueFiber, pigment
DimensionsOverall: 136 x 170 cm (53 9/16 x 66 15/16 in.) with outstretched arms
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2767
On View
Not on viewClassificationsTextiles
DescriptionA dance costume, such as this one, would be worn by a male Senufo dancer during masked performances. Masquerades among the Senufo are under the direction of the Poro men's society and there exists a large quantity of different masks, most of which are female masks danced by men. Masquerades are performed during initiation cycles, community celebrations, and funerary rituals.
Provenance1970s, sold by the Galerie Ascher, Paris, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
mid 20th-century
early 20th century
mid 20th century
