Shield (1) - Guinea - 1930-1940

Shield. Wood traditional pigments, lime. Mendi population. Nipa Valley – Southern Highlands. Papua New Guinea. Circa 1950. Very good condition. Cm. 37 x 145 (14.5 x 57 inches).
The shields of the Nipa Valley are generally not carved but only painted. The most common design is a central band decorated with part and the other with 2 semicircles. This shield features a rarer pattern, with a cental circle and 4 semicircles in white on a red backgound. According with Chris Boylan, the circle would corrispond to the center of a navel which gives anthropomorphic significance to the design of the shield. Provenance Cecile Kerner - Bruxelles.