doll (toy (ceremonial artefacts & rank insignia)); puppet

Masked doll or puppet with a textile body and costume, as well as a mask covering its face. The top part of the costume is decorated with polychrome felt. The mask is decorated with a moustache made from hair and a headdress made from felt and wood threads.

Label: Exhibition label, reading 'Masked doll in the form of a disguise, called KUSSILLO, worn by Indian men at harvest festival ceremonial dances. It represents a corn-boring insect and is a survival from the pre-Spanish period. It is known only in one district of Las Paz, Bolivia, South America.'

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database sometimes uses language taken from historical documents to help research, which may now appear outdated and even offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections or can suggest corrections to our information, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk