War shield or ceremonial shield · Papua New Guinea, New Britain, Southwestern coastal region, Jacquinot Bay, Mengen (Omengen) · ID: 3050381
Howard Nowes, New York City, USA
Description
heavy wood, remnants of black, white and red pigment, rattan, old collection label, inscribed: “New Britain Shield G.68.24.7”, label with the same inscription and additional note “M.D.B.G.” ibid., sticker “109”, sturdy handle integrated at the back
This shield is decorated on both sides. The front is carved in low-relief with two opposing stylised faces. The eyes are marked by concentric grooves, the large noses highlighted by serrated contours. The carving decoration has been enlivened by the use of red, black and white pigment.
The shield edges are bordered with rattan strips. On the back, the upper and lower thirds of the shield are covered with fine rattan wickerwork, which is alternately left in its natural colour and dyed green.
Comparing literature
Barbier, Jean Paul & Purissima Benitez-Johannot, Shields, Munich, London, New York 2000, p. 216, cat. 90