Miniature shield ·  Ethiopia, Oromo · ID: 3033788

Description

leather, conical vaulted form, two bronze studs influenced by Arabian sources holding the handle at the back, min. dam., traces of usage;

of an unusual design, the shield was carried by the Oromo (Galla), in southern Ethiopia, as well as by the peoples of Somalia. Similar miniature versions, which were probably made on a lathe, were also used in ritual knife fights in the bordering area of southern Arabia across from the East Horn of Africa.

The object Miniature shield with the object ID 3033788 was last part of the auction 71st tribal art auction at November 24, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 471.

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Comparing literature

Zirngibl, Manfred A., Plaschke, Dieter, Afrikanische Schilde, München 1992, p. 58, ill. 42