Shield "kliau" ·  Indonesia - Borneo, Dayak · ID: 3043205

Description

soft and light “jelutong” wood, black paint, red pigment, carved from a single piece of wood, strengthened in the width with rattan strips, painted with all kinds of intricate figures on both sides, min. dam., missing parts, abrasion, crack.
Wood shields were used for protection in warfare, on headhunting raids, or ceremonial display. The spiritually charged “monster” figure painted on the front (concentrical circle motifs = “eyes”) is meant to frighten the enemy.

The object Shield “kliau” with the object ID 3043205 was last part of the auction 88th Tribal Art Auction at March 10, 2018 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 7 achieved a sales price of EUR 700.

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Comparing literature

van Zonneveld, Albert G., Traditional weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago, Leiden 2001, p. 73