Skip to main content
1 of 6

Vintage Asmat War Shield - Indonesia

You May Also Like

Monumental Oceanic Asmat People Carved Painted Wooden War Shield
Located in Forney, TX
A monumental, rare and important Oceanic Papuan Asmat People tribal carved war shield from the first half of the 20th century, collected from the coast of the headhunting tribe in Papua New Guinea, a Provincial Indonesian island in the mid 20th century. Among the Asmat, war shields are the most powerful symbolic element of a warrior's equipment, and have many layers of meaning. Traditionally, they were functional items used to protect warriors in battle by deflecting an enemy's spears and arrows. The carved and painted images on the surface of the shields were also intended to frighten the enemy and symbolize the power of the ancestors. Ancestral imagery appears on multiple forms of Asmat art...
Category

Early 20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Important Oceanic Carved Asmat Tribal Sago Bowl Serving Platter after War Shield
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and important Oceanic Papuan Asmat tribal carved ancestral sago bowl (also known as a platter, serving shield and tray) crafted in the likes of the...
Category

20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Tribal Art

Materials

Wood, Paint

An Asmat ceremonial trophy necklace
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Asmat People, South Papua, Indonesia, probably late 19th century The Asmat people of Papua are known for creating "trophy necklaces," intricate pieces often made from human bones an...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century Indonesian Tribal Art

Materials

Bone, Natural Fiber

Bis Pole Sculpture by Asmat People
Located in Atlanta, GA
A ritual artifact from the tribe of the Asmat poeple, an ethnic group of New Guinea living in the Papua province of Indonesia and South-western regions of Papua New Guinea, bis or bisj pole is carved out of a wild Mangrove tree and can reach a stunning height Their carvings depict stacked human and animal figures standing and on top always phallic symbols, in the shape of a canoe prow. Bis poles...
Category

20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Asmat Tribe Handled Drum New Guinea
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Sculptural Dance Drum hand-carved by the Asmat Tribe Papua, New Guinea. The fine Hourglass form Drum with handle on one side and flange on the other with traditional incised Mask d...
Category

Mid-20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

An Asmat headdress decorated with cassowary feathers
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Asmat, Papua Province, Indonesia, Late 19th century Provenance: - Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich (purchased in the 1980s or 1990s)
Category

Antique Late 19th Century Indonesian Tribal Art

Materials

Natural Fiber, Feathers

Recently Viewed

View All