Shield
R. D. Congo, Topoke
Vendu
750 €
Provenance
Wim Schuhmacher, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsMichel Thieme, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Taille
H: 95,5 cm
B: 47 cm
H: 37.6 inch
B: 18.5 inch
Description
wood, rattan, rectangular, roof-shaped, a wide horizontal brace, the back of the shield is covered with split bamboo-like reeds tightly bound together, decorated with wickerwork, min. dam., slight traces of usage and abrasion;
one of the oldest sources on the presence of wooden shields in this region is from H. M. Stanley (“Durch den dunklen Weltteil”, Leipzig 1881, vol. II, p. 288): “The shields were shaped like long rectangles, beautifully made from the bark of a palm tree and thus light, tough and impenetrable for knife and spear.”