Lot 83
RAINFOREST SHIELD
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
Auction: 26 November 2025 at 14:00 GMT
Description
carved wood and pigment, of elongated oval form with a central raised boss, the front decorated with bold geometric designs in red, white, orange and black natural pigments forming a series of interlocking lozenges, the reverse unadorned, with an integral handle
Dimensions
72.3cm tall
Provenance
Alex Phillips, Melbourne
Francois Coppens, Belgium, acquired from the above, 2010s
Footnote
For a similar example, please see; The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 1979.206.1802
The Yidinj people and nearby clans from around Cairns in northeast Queensland made brightly painted rainforest shields. These shields were used in both battles and ceremonies and were carried only by men after they completed their initiation into adulthood.
Rainforest shields are often kidney-shaped because they were carved from the curved buttress roots of native fig trees. This shield, however, is more symmetrical and has a raised central area to make it stronger. The handle was shaped by carving out the space beneath it.
Two initiated men usually painted a shield together, each starting from opposite ends. Although the patterns may seem abstract, they come from traditional clan designs that represent people, animals and country, creating a unified and meaningful design.