Large Vintage Papua New Guinea Shield from West Sepik

This is a large colourful shield from the Telefomin Area of West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea with a deeply incised abstract design highlighted in red ochre and black pigment on a white lime background. It is made from one piece of wood and would have been held using the bamboo straps on the back. Designs on shields were specific to a clan and area, and were considered to have ancestral power, with each shield being given its own personal name. As an ancestral relic they were kept in men's ceremonial houses.

Though based on a traditional war shield this shield is unlikely to have ever been used in battle but would have been made, probably in the mid 20th century, to sell to a visitor. The strong colours and abstract design would make this an attractive and highly visible feature in a modern interior, and its connection to the history and spiritualism of the Melanesian people of the West Sepik region would provide something much more meaningful than most examples of modern art. Dimensions: Height 164 x Width 35 x Thickness 4.5 cm (max as it is lens shaped). Condition: The shield is in good condition though a little worn at the base where it has been stored touching the ground.

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