Zemanek-Münster

Old war shield "jamasj"

West New Guinea / West Papua (Irian Jaya), Asmat
sold EUR 1,500
Provenance
Paulian Association’s “New Guinea Primitive Arts”, Dymocks Arcade, Sydney, Australia (1996) (A60)
Jean Paul Deslypere, Belsele, Belgium
Size
H: 223 cm
B: 50,5 cm (widest part)
H: 87.8 inch
B: 19.9 inch (widest part)

Description

mangrove wood, min. pigment residues, old collection label “A 60 Old Shield…”, rest.

The shield shows traces of battle, two broken arrowheads and impact holes.

The symbols carved on the shield’s surface radiated power, the power of the ancestors, which invigorated the shield’s owner and struck fear in his enemies.


Comparing literature

Smidt, Dirk, Asmat Art, Leiden 1993, p. p. 71 ff.

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