Shield ·  Cameroon, Kirdi · ID: 3032860

Description

leather, partly encrusted patina, with punched decorations, handle on the rear, min. dam., slight traces of usage;
these leather shields are made out of cowhide, or out of the hides of elephants or buffalo, and are tapered off to the bottom. The burls and grooves are worked into the leather during the making of the shield. According to old accounts, these decorations were believed to deflect the weapons of the aggressor.

The object Shield with the object ID 3032860 was last part of the auction 69th tribal art auction at June 2, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 366 achieved a sales price of EUR 500.

You can find more Shields and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.

Comparing literature

Zirngibl, Manfred A., Plaschke, Dieter, Afrikanische Schilde, München 1992, p. 52 f.