Igbo-Ukwu Snail Vessel

The Igbo-Ukwu bronze sculptures dated far back as the 9th century A.D are known as one of the earliest production of bronze art in West Africa. Its production style left its discoverers wondering how African craftsmen of such period could create such artworks. Igbo-Ukwu people at the time of creation and use, did not have the habit of records keeping. So, the context surrounding their creation was not clear except through the intervention of archeologists and ethnographers who made efforts to study the bronze works. Thurstan Shaw was the archeologist in charge of the excavation of the three sites were works were discovered.

According to a publication by Shaw in 1960, this elaborate vessel is a model of Igbo-Ukwu’s 9th-century bronze found in the first site, Igbo Isaiah. The patina coated object, presumed by researchers to be a ritual vessel is largely opined to be shaped like a land snail.
Shaw’s analysis further revealed that the vessel was either of a conch or the large African land snail. The shell possesses intricate thin strands of linear and curvilinear patterns on its surface which is typical of the Igbo-Ukwu bronze art. The largest part of the shell is divided into columns of various patterns, while the remaining sections have dotted patterns and vertical lines. These scarifications have been noted to be “Ichi” symbols which are attributed to the royalty of the Nri people. The insects, such as flies, locusts, grasshoppers, beetles or spiders, often depicted on Igbo-ukwu bronzes, may have reflected the importance of controlling such insects and pests on the yam crop at the time or illustrated a now-forgotten metaphor.