Shield, late 19th / early 20th century ·  Indonesia - Sulawesi, Gulf of Tomini or Kulawi · ID: 3048175

Description

wood, black paint, rattan, nassa snails, hair,

According to Barbier, these distinctly narrow shields were used for war dances that included show-fights with the sword, as can be seen in an old photograph from 1919/20.

The shield is made from a single piece of light wood and was originally inlaid with triangular sections of bone and nassa shells. The hair that decorates the shields is said to have been of human origin in earlier times, supposedly from the victims of the owner of the shield.

The object Shield, late 19th / early 20th century with the object ID 3048175 was part of the auction 102nd Auction on April 13, 2024, lot number 7 at that time and is currently available for EUR 2,000 in Open sale.

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

Comparing literature

Barbier, Jean Paul & Purissima Benitez-Johannot, Shields, Munich, London, New York 2000, p. 157, ill. 60