The great, bulbous body has a pedestalled end containing a bored hole in the center; a design that makes it easy to wedge into the ground. At the top of...
The great, bulbous body has a pedestalled end containing a bored hole in the center; a design that makes it easy to wedge into the ground. At the top of the vessel is an abstract head with a “crown” of thick bands arching from around the head to under the neck, simulating braided hair. The elongated face comes to a point nearly touching the lower portion of the neck. Thick striated curved bands serve both as handles and as arms of the figure with small hands. On the “chest” are three rows of double bands connected by four segments of double bands in an oval shape placed horizontally down the center. The vessel may have been used for a fertility cult, or perhaps as a burial offering. Simple in form, yet very powerful in effect, this vessel is a unique example of artistry that flourished in ancient Nigeria.