The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Teardrop shaped wooden war shield with a flattened lower edge and raised organic patterns in red and worn away white paint, outlined in black. A central pattern features two lines, one above the other, curving out at the top and bottom.

War Shield

c. 1940

Melanesia, Irian Jaya, Asmat people, 20th century

painted wood
Overall: 176.5 x 60.3 x 7 cm (69 1/2 x 23 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.)
Gift of The May Company, Cleveland 1963.554
Location: Not on view

Description

The carving of war shields was celebrated by the Asmat with a special feast, which was immediately followed by a headhunting raid. Each shield was named after an ancestor, who inspired strength and courage in the new owner. Shields were carved from the buttress roots of mangrove trees and decorated with raised symbolic designs. Their surfaces were painted white (lime), red (ochre), and black (charcoal). Motifs frequently carved on shields include squatting ancestors and fruit-eating animals such as flying foxes and hornbills. Fruits are considered analogous to human heads, and thus fruit-eaters symbolize headhunting ancestors. Tassels made from large sago palm leaves once hung from the shield's edges.
  • Year in Review (1963). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 27, 1963-January 5, 1964).
  • {{cite web|title=War Shield|url=false|author=|year=c. 1940|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1963.554