War shield "yemes", around 1940 · Westneuguinea / Westpapua (Irian Jaya), Asmat · ID: 3046880
Willem Zwiep, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Description
wood (root of a tree or mangrove wood), red ochre, charcoal, lime,
The relationship between shield and owner was very close and the shields were of high symbolic and emotional value. When the owner died, the shield was split into two pieces lengthwise, covering the corpse wrapped in mats and laid out for burial. Alternatively, the shield could also be passed on to the son of the deceased.
The object War shield “yemes”, around 1940 with the object ID 3046880 was part of the auction Voyage Tribal Art - Live Online Auction on May 23, 2020. The object with the lot number 25 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,000 with an asking price of EUR 3,500.
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Comparing literature
Helfrich, Klaus u.a., Asmat, Berlin 1996, p. 146 ff.