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Shield with fringe, Epok, 19th–early 20th century
Wood, ochre and lime pigment, basketry, fiber fringe
170 x 32 x 10 cm (66 15/16 x 12 5/8 x 3 15/16 in.)
The Marcia and John Friede Collection, a Promised Gift to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco L05.1.135

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Artist Biography: (none) PROVENANCE: "Jef van der Straete Collection, Lasnes, Belgium." (Catalog #82, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 95.) PUBLICATIONS: 2005 - "The shield was held in the warrior's left hand. The fringe blended with the underbrush and helped to hide him. The right side was clean to avoid obstructing his fighting arm, which was holding a spear. As a whole, the shield probably represents an important ancestor, his face prominently carved, protecting the shield bearer while frightening the enemy. The identification between the ancestor depicted in the shield and the bearer-owned also shows in the death ritual when the shield is used as a bier. The dead owner, lying in the concave back of the shield, is thus carried to the grave. (Sterr, 1950, photo opp. p. 144.) In the same manner, in warfare the shield could be used to carry a wounded man. The red color, probably represented human blood, is seen as a symbol of victory (Huppertz, 1998: 195). The curvilinear motifs that decorate the largest part of the shield have been interpreted as butterfly wings (ibid., 193 and pl. 7), possibly a sign of rebirth. Although I cannot prove it, I believe they also suggest a lineage column of ancestors. A similar motif is found on the garamut slit-gong from Manam Island (pl. 77). The bird figure carved at the top represents a "death bird" thought to carry the soul of the deceased to the land of the dead. Another shield, with a prominent "death bird,"is in the Néprajzi Múseum, Budapest, and is published in Bodrogi, 1981, vol. 1, no. 50. A detailed description of a comparable shield and its great symbolic significance, based on information provided by Father Heinrich Lehner s.v.d., can be found in Huppertz, 1998: 192-96, cover, and pl. 3-12. An almost identical shield is published in Schmidt, 1903, fig. 9. (Catalog #82, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 95.)

Related Keywords
Epok with Shield Francisco San Museums Arts Fine Gift Promised 95 p 2 Volume 2005 Friede John Marcia Jolika Masterpieces Art 82 Catalog Belgium Lasnes Straete der van Jef people Monumbo Oceania Province Madang Guinea New Papua Melanesia Armor Arms fiber basketry pigment lime ochre Wood fringe place widest 38cm be May 0709200406050422 A361050 L05.1.135 AOA