Dance emblem for show and prestige purposes

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Description

wood, mirror glass, pigments,

This panel, set with nine mirrors and crowned by three heads, could be held by a massive handle on the back.

According to Cole, these emblems were commissioned by the various age-grades for competitive and festive dance displays. They were used as stage props or were paraded through public dance arenas. They served as a distinguishing mark for the age group associations and as objects of prestige. As such, they were lavishly decorated with mirrors and figures and new variants were constantly created.

A comparable panel illustrated in Cole, 1984, p. 110, fig. 207.

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Comparing literature

Cole, Herbert M. & Chike C. Aniakor, Igbo Arts, Los Angeles 1984, p. 110, ill. 207

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