War shield ·  Kenya, Masai · ID: 3032882

Description

cow or buffalo hide, oval form, the rims lined and strengthened by leather stripes, a carrying pole along the middle is tightly tied to the back, the convex curving of the shield is achieved through leather straps stretched from the middle to the top and bottom, painted on the front, min. dam., traces of abrasion and usage;
young warriors, not yet considered to be the equals of the older, were allowed just the use of black motifs on their shields. Only a man who had proven his bravery was allowed the colour red.

The object War shield with the object ID 3032882 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 457 achieved a sales price of EUR 750.

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Comparing literature

Zirngibl, Manfred A., Plaschke, Dieter, Afrikanische Schilde, München 1992, p. 39