Shield · Kenya / Tanzania, region between Lake Victoria and Mount Kilimanjaro · ID: 3050166
sold
EUR 1,200
Provenance
Alexander Kubetz (1946-2023), Munich, GermanySize
H: 92 cm
H: 36.2 inch
Description
thick hide with embossed zigzag lines, wood (handle), leather strips,
A comparable shield was collected in situ on Mount Kilimanjaro by James Stephenson in 2001. It was located among the Chaga or Taveta (see AHDRC 0193402).
According to early sources, the Bantu-Kavirondo people living north-east of Lake Victoria made and used these shields. Other comparative pieces have been attributed to the area of Sotik and Kisii (a hilly area east of Lake Victoria in the border area of Kenya and Tanzania).
Comparing literature
Barbier, Jean Paul & Purissima Benitez-Johannot, Shields, Munich, London, New York 2000, p. 120