Asmat Shield

Asmat Shield

  • Artist

    Unknown artist

  • Production Date

    Unknown

  • Medium

    wood, pigment, plant fibres

  • Size

    1530 x 390 x 70 mm

  • Credit

    Chartwell Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, 1988

  • Accession Number

    C1994/1/248

  • Accession Date

    Jul 1988

  • Department

    International Art

  • Classification

    Object

  • Collection

    Chartwell

  • Subjects

    artifacts, shields (armor)

  • Chartwell Notes

    Please note: We have been unable to obtain direct approval for this image but we acknowledge the original maker. If the copyright owner is able to contact us, we will immediately respond. Regards, Chartwell.

  • Description

    The Asmat live in south-west Irian Jaya and are among the finest Melanesian artists. This war shield is decorated with stylized flying foxes and has an ancestor’s face at the top. (Te Moananui a Kiwa)

    Almost all known Asmat carvings date from after European contact during the nineteenth century, and vast numbers were collected by traders after the Second World War. (Te Moananui a Kiwa, 2005)

Exhibition history