Skip Navigation

Shield

Arts of Africa

CULTURE Songye
MEDIUM Wood, pigment
DATES late 19th century
DIMENSIONS 30 1/4 x 12 x 4 1/2in. (76.8 x 30.5 x 11.4cm)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa
ACCESSION NUMBER 22.824
CREDIT LINE Brooklyn Museum Collection
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Wooden shield of rectangular shape with slight buckling at center of longer sides. Polychrome effect of natural wood, and black and brown stains. Profuse decoration of incised patterns lozenges, straight line diaper, etc. At each side is an ornament of concentric arcs in different colors. A characteristic "Kifwebe" mask with scooped face, at center. Longitudinal wooden handle at back. CONDITION: Mouth of mask chipped and paint rubbed off in spots; some chipping along edges. Shield has been cracked and repaired with glue.
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Songye. Shield, late 19th century. Wood, pigment, 30 1/4 x 12 x 4 1/2in. (76.8 x 30.5 x 11.4cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, 22.824. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.22.824_front_PS5.jpg)
IMAGE front, CUR.22.824_front_PS5.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2010
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
Songye. <em>Shield</em>, late 19th century. Wood, pigment, 30 1/4 x 12 x 4 1/2in. (76.8 x 30.5 x 11.4cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, 22.824. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.22.824_front_PS5.jpg)