Jester Mask Item Number: 2946/95 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Pepino mask. Fabric mask with a half-yellow, half-white face. The tip of the nose and the curved lips are painted red. Pink paper ears have been stapled to the sides of the face. At the top of the head are three foam triangles in yellow, green and white. White, yellow, and red diamonds and circles decorate the chin and there is a large red heart on each cheek. Black stitching across the bottom of the front

History Of Use

La Paz's pepinos, or buffoons, are derived from the Italian Punchinello of the commedia dell'arte, which was imported into Latin America through the 18th-century Spanish court theatre. Buffoons, dressed as devils, demonic beasts etc., personify ridiculousness and stupidity, and elicit laughter to reaffirm the community's rejection of evil, anti-social behaviour, and "foreignness", while expressing its commonly held ethical aspirations and moral identity.