A Fine Old Australian Aboriginal Shield Lagrange Bay West Australia 19th C

A Fine Old Australian Aboriginal Shield Lagrange Bay West Australia 19th C

This finely carved old shield is unique because normally La Grange Bay shields have the incised interlocking key designs only on one side being the back of the shield and the front is either undecorated or has vertical striations but this fine example has incised interlocking key designs on both sides.  This is the only shield I have seen that has the same beautifully incised designs on both sides.

These designs are unique in Australia to Karadjeri People of the La Grange Bay Area of the Northeast Coast of Western Australia. This design is also found on the famous pearl shell ornaments call “Longka Longka” from this area.

This design is also sometimes found on Spear Throwers but it is on the back of the Karadjeri shields where the design is executed in the most elegant manner,

Reference:

Interlocking Key Design in Aboriginal Australian Decorative Art. Dr. D. S. Davidson. First published: September 1949

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Aboriginal Art 

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