Dance emblem for show and prestige purposes · Nigeria, Igbo · ID: 3048810
Price
EUR 1,500
plus 27 % commission, VAT, transport and insurance
Provenance
Robert Banks, Washington, USASize
M: 70 cm x 25 cm
M: 27.6 inch x 9.8 inch
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.
Comparing literature
Cole, Herbert M. & Chike C. Aniakor, Igbo Arts, Los Angeles 1984, p. 110, ill. 207