A Rare Old New Guinea War Shield from Wanamu Area, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea
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| Collection No. | T-5916 |
|---|---|
| Size | 50x33cm |
Fine Old New Guinea War Shield from Wanamu Area, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea
This beautiful old shield is a rare type of heart shaped Archers Shields were made for small-statured men who wore the strap over their shoulder and then the shield protects the torso of the warrior & leaving his hands free to shoot his bow & arrow & to be nimble enough to dodge other people’s spears and arrows.
Carved from a single piece of hardwood, the unique design is carved in high relief, which means the design stands out from the shield, it depicts an an ancestor figure surrounded by two totemic snakes one on either side, and the painted ochre designs at the top that make an abstract face.
I have looked for as many examples of these Wanamu Heart Shaped Shields as I could find, some are carved with designs (like the ones below) & other with painted designs and an abstract face and or just a band of red ochre.
This is the only Wanumu Shield where the designs are carved in high relief, which is much harder to do with removing all of the area, leaving the design upraised.
In the fine Shields Reference book “The Shields of Melanesia “by Beran & Craig. Dr Craig Page 55 – 56 States “Little is known about these Heart Shaped Shields but they are noted by AC Haddon in 1926 and by Bodrogi in 1959. Haddon states they were very rare “
Provenance: Old Collection Australia & The Todd Barlin Collection of Papua New Guinea Oceanic Art
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