The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 6, 2026

An elongated, almond-shaped shield made of light-tan bamboo slats and wood tapers to points at its top and bottom. Closely spaced horizontal slats form its surface, bound by vertical rows of plant fiber. From the center, a cone-shaped wood boss projects outward. Narrow, dark brown triangular shapes point inward from the outer edges, which are encased in a thick, dark rim of animal hide.

Shield

by 1928

Africa, Uganda/Kenya, unknown maker

Bamboo, wood, pelt, and plant fiber
Overall: 34.6 cm (13 5/8 in.)
Gift of the Gilpin Players of Karamu House 1929.325
Location: Not on view

Description

A shield with a similar shape is on the Ugandan coat of arms, adopted in 1962 to mark the country's independence from Great Britain.
  • 1928
    Purchased by Paul Travis on behalf of the African Art Sponsors and the Gilpin Players in Kampala, Uganda
    1928
    The African Art Sponsors and the Gilpin Players
    1929–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art by gift
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Boger, Ann C. et al. Paul B. Travis Africa 1927-1928. Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. P. 24, 44It appears on a checklist of "African Material" circa 1928 as part of a group of three "ceremonial shields." The place of collection is obscured by torn paper. Archives of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
    2 12/3/1928 letter to the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History from Hazel Mountain Walker (Gilpin Players, president) and Harry E. Davis (African Art Sponsors, president) reproduced on p. 54 of Adams, Henry et al. Paul Travis 1891-1975. Cleveland Artists Foundation, 2001.
  • Windmuller-Luna, Kristen. "An Obsession with Heads: The Impact of African Arts, Anthropology, and Photography on the Works of Alberto Giacometti," Medium (May 2022). medium.com
  • Standing on Ceremony: Traditional African Arms from the Donna and Robert Jackson Collection and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 24, 2004-March 15, 2005).
    Western Reserve Historical Society (4/24/2004 - 11/27/2004): 'Standing on Ceremony: Traditional African Arms from the Donna and Robert Jackson Collection and the Cleveland Museum of Art"
  • {{cite web|title=Shield|url=false|author=|year=by 1928|access-date=06 October 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1929.325