Shield
Ethiopia, Amhara
sold
EUR 300
Provenance
Paul Heinz Oidtmann, Dortmund, GermanySize
D: 47 cm
D: 18.5 inch
Description
probably made from giraffe-, gazelle-, or antelope skin, stretched with brown velvet and decorated with punched metal sheet ornaments, wooden handle stretched with red leather, rep. (fixation of the handle), slight traces of usage and abrasion;
the carrying of weapons was the pride of every self-respecting Amhara. A more or less magnificently decorated shield was a distinctive mark of every brave warrior. In the course of time they were transformed into purely decorative objects of imperial dignitaries.