TOPOKE, WOVEN SHIELD 1, 40", wood and woven palm bark, $250, Dem. Rep. of Congo
In traditional Africa, shields were used not only as defensive weapons, but also as decorative or ritual objects filled with symbolic meaning. They can be carved from wood, woven, made from a variety of hides and even metal.
This shield is broken. It should form a shallow "V" in profile but half of the "spine" broke just above the center; now it lies almost flat.