War shield

Reference : 2179

War shield

Mangrove root carved with a lithic tool.
White pigment (lime), mineral ochre and coal black.
The socket cut out of the mass.
Native restoration.
Height: 1.97 m / Width: 0.59 m
Inventory number on back: E.T.63.18.3
Yupmakcain group ( Citak). Eastern Asmat
Papua Indonesia

Source :
– Kunsthaus lempertz Cologne, 24.10.2018 lot 185
– Kevin Conru Collection, Brussels

More details

A very similar model is preserved in the collections of the Barbier-Mueller Museum (Inv.4250-H).

The Yupmakcain territory lies between the Wildeman River to the south and the headwaters of the Sirets to the north, in the easternmost part of Asmat country.
Yupmakcain shields are very tall (averaging around 2m), but comparatively narrow and pointed at the top.
According to T. Schneebaum in Asmat images from the collection of the Asmat Museum of culture and progress. Agats 1985. On pages 190-192, some motifs depict swirls of water.
On this shield, the reverse side symbolizes the spine, represented by a ridge carved along the vertical axis.

Price: €11,000

Sold with presentation base

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