SONGYE SHIELD 14

SONGYE, SHIELD 14, 32.5", $600, SOLD, Dem. Rep. Congo

In traditional Africa, shields were used not only as defensive weapons, but also as decorative or ritual objects filled with symbolic meaning. Songye shields are all carved from single pieces of wood. The heads on the shields relate to the masks of this once warlike people from the Dem. Republic of Congo (Zaire) whose art projects an aggressive strength unparalleled in African art.