oceania | Papua New Guinea
War Shield
Papua New Guinea
War Shield depicting a Human Figure
Jimi River Valley, Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea
Early 20th century
Wood, pigments, rattan
Height: 142 cm – 56 in.
Length: 55 cm – 21 ½ in.
Provenance
Collection Chris Boylan, Sydney
The Jolika Collection, Marcia & John Friede, Rye, New York
Collection Franck Marcelin, Aix-en-Provence
Publication
“New Guinea Highlands. Art From the Jolika Collection”, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, De Young, 2017,p.134, ill.6.25
Highlands Shield Red Human Figure 142 cm / Galerie Flak
Price: on request
Warfare played an essential role in the complex system of exchanges and compensation that bound the various human groups of the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Each warrior carried a shield, spears, bows and arrows, as well as stone knives or axes.
The shield was the most important element of a warrior's equipment. Regarded as an extension of the warrior himself, it held a magico-spiritual power and was endowed with a vital force symbolically transmitted by the clan's ancestors. Before hostilities broke out, warriors would repaint their shields to ensure their colors gleamed in the sunlight, dazzling and intimidating the opposing side.
As Chris Boylan, the former owner of this work, points out, shields from this region are generally decorated with abstract motifs such as circles and semicircles. This example is an exception: published and described in the reference work New Guinea Highlands. Art From the Jolika Collection (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, De Young, 2017, p. 134, ill. 6.25), it is presented there as the only known example from the Western Highlands region depicting a human silhouette of this type. The outline of the figure is emphasized by punched marks along its contour, and its red color carries powerful symbolic meaning: victory and vengeance. The impact marks visible on the surface attest to its prolonged use in combat.
The shield was the most important element of a warrior's equipment. Regarded as an extension of the warrior himself, it held a magico-spiritual power and was endowed with a vital force symbolically transmitted by the clan's ancestors. Before hostilities broke out, warriors would repaint their shields to ensure their colors gleamed in the sunlight, dazzling and intimidating the opposing side.
As Chris Boylan, the former owner of this work, points out, shields from this region are generally decorated with abstract motifs such as circles and semicircles. This example is an exception: published and described in the reference work New Guinea Highlands. Art From the Jolika Collection (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, De Young, 2017, p. 134, ill. 6.25), it is presented there as the only known example from the Western Highlands region depicting a human silhouette of this type. The outline of the figure is emphasized by punched marks along its contour, and its red color carries powerful symbolic meaning: victory and vengeance. The impact marks visible on the surface attest to its prolonged use in combat.
Publication
“New Guinea Highlands. Art From the Jolika Collection”, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, De Young, 2017,p.134, ill.6.25
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