Artwork analysis: Igbo Ukwu

The Igbo Ukwu is, and African Iron Age archaeological site located near tehe modern town of Onitsha.  There is a bronze container in the shape of a shell with no name from what I can find.  At the top of the container there is believed to be a leopard that is standing over a circular pedestal.  The shell is different in comparison to other shells in where there are specific designs to look like circles, diamonds, and herringbone ornamentation.  The leopard can be found on other imagery of Igbo Ukwu that has historians believe that the leopards have ritual importance. At another nearby site, at the Igbo Richard, a grave found near the home Richard Anozie.  The Igbo-Richard was a burial place for elite, wealthy people.  It is unknown if the person was a ruler or had some religious or secular role in their community.  A cast bronze leopard skull was found at this sight of Isaiah’s brother.  In this culture the leopard is a frequently chosen symbol of political power, and even military leaders.  From what I read there is speculation on if the Igbo Ukwu function as a sight was to be a shrine or a burial place of a ruler or important ritual personage.


Hirst, K. Kris. "Igbo Ukwu (Nigeria): West African Burial and Shrine." ThoughtCo, Aug. 30, 2020, thoughtco.com/igbo-ukwu-nigeria-site-171378.

Comments

  1. Luna VelarNovember 6, 2020 at 7:13 PM

    Hi Brenden!

    I really liked your post! It's interesting that this shell like ornament was so different compared to others. I wonder what the leopard could represent in the Igbo Ukwu religion or custom? Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 8, 2020 at 9:40 AM

    Brenden great post, I think its interesting how ther lepord is used to represent leaders and people of power, the shell looks very cool, and shows how well crafted the art was.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amanda SantistevanNovember 8, 2020 at 9:37 PM

    Hi Brendon, very interesting post. This is an intriguing piece of art. I have also read from the posts that I have chosen to write about talk a lot about the significance of leopards so it makes sense to have one in this piece as well. Leopards are very strong and bold symbols in African art.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Xaiyne Calma-ViloriaNovember 8, 2020 at 11:57 PM

    I can see that there is such a vast majority of ancient African art, but it’s a shame that there’s little to no evidence of what most of their artifacts and artworks were used for. The most that can be determined from this piece would come from its visual imagery, but even that’s not definitive. Based off the information in your post, to me, it looks like this piece could’ve been used as an incense burner with the acclaimed leopard representing a sort of power or deity.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Emily SnyderNovember 9, 2020 at 4:26 PM

    Very interesting! The leopard is an interesting symbol of power and I agree that it holds some importance to this culture. I'm slightly curious to what the purpose is to this piece and what it stands for.

    ReplyDelete

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