Big war shield "yemes" · Westneuguinea / Westpapua (Irian Jaya), Asmat · ID: 3047913
Alfons Bermel, Berlin, Germany
Description
mangrove wood, completely covered with dark patina, the stylized face at the top represents the stingray “puru”, the corpus carries emblems that are related to head hunting (flying fox “tar” and “bipane” motifs); perforations for decorative tassels on the rim, the back is painted
The relationship between shield and owner was very close and the shields were of high symbolic and emotional value.
When the owner died, the shield was split into two pieces lengthwise, covering the corpse wrapped in mats and laid out for burial. Alternatively, the shield could also be passed on to the son of the deceased.
The object Big war shield “yemes” with the object ID 3047913 was part of the auction 96th Auction on April 24, 2021. The object with the lot number 27 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,300 with an asking price of EUR 2,000.
You can find more Shields and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on Oceanian art.
Comparing literature
Helfrich, Klaus u.a., Asmat, Berlin 1996, p. 143