Vessel

Arts of Africa

Mid–20th century

Igbo
Nigeria
Coastal West Africa

This type of spherical pot with a short neck and linear ornamentation functioned as a symbol of rank for titled men in the hierarchical Igbo society. During ceremonies where titles were conferred, it would be used to serve palm wine to titleholders and other honored guests. This vessel’s surface decoration is unusually dynamic due to the textural contrasts between vertical and horizontal lines, and between smoothly burnished and bumpy incised areas.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Igbo
Title: Vessel
Place: Nigeria (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1925–1975
Medium: Terracotta
Dimensions: 39.4 × 40.6 cm (15 1/2 × 16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Keith Achepohl
Reference Number: 2005.267

Kathleen Bickford Berzock, For Hearth and Altar: African Ceramics from the Keith Achepohl Collection (The Art Institute and Yale University Press, 2005), pp. 115-117.

Art Institute of Chicago, For Hearth and Altar: African Ceramics from the Keith Achepohl Collection, Dec. 3, 2005–Feb. 20, 2006, cat. 67.

Willy Okwerekwu, Calif., by 2000; sold to Douglas Dawson Gallery, Chicago, Ill., 2000; given to Keith Achepohl, 2000; given to the Art Institute, 2005.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.