Asmat
Shield
Asmat, 1933
Scroll
Asmat
Shield
Asmat, 1933
Physical Qualities
Wood, pigment, 75 9/16 x 18 1/2 x 4 5/16 in. (192 x 47 x 11 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Bernice Barth, Los Angeles
Object Number
2002.634
Carved with a frontal female at the top with arms and legs bent so that the knees and elbows meet. She has a thin torso, head, and narrow pointed breasts. The body of the shield deeply carved with four bold motifs resembling the shell nose-piece worn on ceremonial occasions through the septun. Each motif linked by a double-tipped arrow shape and framed with a segmented border. C-shapes in the reserves between motifs. Integral grip handle at back. White and black pigments.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift 2002; Bernice Barth from her husband, Arthur H. Barth; Arthur H. Barth Primitive Art, Beverly Hills, CA; purhcase in Europe in the 1960s
Bowers Museum of Cultural History, Santa Ana California, 1975-2000?
BMA Today. May/June 2003. pg 6.