Specifications

• Height: 79,5 cm
• Material: buffalo hide, wood
• Position:
• Gender:
• Indigenous name:
• Realised price: € 1600,- hp

Provenance

Jan van Riel (1907-1988), Tilburg; Veilinggebouw De Zwaan 13-11-2015, lot 3207

Publications

Additional information

Rare shield, presumably hailing from the area north of the Toraja. Wooden and hide shields are common in this area. We do not know if the hide shield precurse the wooden ones. All shields have geometric patterns, but on the present shield this feature is lacking. Along the upeer and lower borden we see a puncak rebung motif. In the upper register a triangle, two floral patterns and four dots are visible. In the lower register two buffalo horns are painted with two sinuous lines below which could be interpreted as ‘borders’ dividing the left panel with one horse and a man on horseback with a single horse on the opposite. For decorative purposes the upper layer of the hide was cut in order to be filled with coloured pigments. At the back a vertical wooden handle was attached. The reverse of the shield has incised lines on one side and an incised diagram consisting of nine to nine squares with crosses at regular intervals of three blocks in between.

Photo credits

Veilinggebouw De Zwaan, Amsterdam