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Sepik Telefomin War Shield

Telefol peoples, Telefomin District, Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea

Late 19th or early 20th century

Height: 170 cm – Width: 58 cm – Depth: 4 cm

Wood; pigments

Each shield of this type would have had its own name, now lost, corresponding to the spirit which inhabited it. It was carried during fights by one, and only one, man, elected among the warriors of the clan. A skilled tactician, accompanied by two archers and equipped with this shield, he determined the positions to be adopted and did not hesitate to take part directly in hand-to-hand combat. In a beautiful graphic harmony with shimmering colours, our shield presents patterns undoubtedly specific to the clan.

Provenance

Marcia and John A. Friede, New York
Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 14 November 1980, Lot 23
Patricia Withofs, London
Entwistle, London, 1993
Private Collection, USA (acquired from the above, 1993)