Vessel
<p>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.</p>
Related Vases
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)