War shield ·  Westneuguinea / Westpapua (Irian Jaya), Asmat · ID: 3033750

Description

mangrove wood, brown patina, red ochre, white pigment, coated with a net-like pattern of irregular formed rhombs, carved handle on the back, slightly dam., minor missing parts (above all on the upper rim), cracks;
an Asmat shield was traditionally made for the occasion of a shield feast “jamasj pokbui”. During this celebration the shield was named after a related ancestor of the owner. Then the celebrations lead to a headhunting expedition, to avenge the deaths of those after whom the newly made shields were named. As this man identified himself with the depicted ancestor, the relationship with his shield was close. The shield was considered most precious, because of the emotional and symbolic values attached to it.

The object War shield with the object ID 3033750 was last part of the auction 71st tribal art auction at November 24, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 48 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,600.

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

Comparing literature

Asmat Art, The van der Hoeven Collection, Brüssel o.J.