250501 - Old African Ethiopian or Somalia shield - Ethiopia
Very Rare Antique Ethiopian shield with 4 decorations.
Diameter: 22 cm.
This Ethiopian shield was dated from the mid of the 19th century and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Made of thick leather, with 4 metal applications. Very good and beautifully finished in all parts.
A very old round shield in typical form. Made of thick leather (hippopotamus, rhinoceros?). With a high, central shield boss of the same material, concentric circles as decorations, as well as with 4 star-shaped ornaments made of metal, attached to the backside by means of the leather grip.
See a similar example in the Musee Dapper's CHASSEURS ET GUERRIERS; AFRICA: The Art of a Continent, edited by Tom Phillips, (See p. 126 in the above-referenced volume and also, p. 69 in African Shields by Dieter Plaschke and Manfred A. Zirngibl,) see also Marc Ginzberg. AFRICAN FORMS, pp. 168, 171