An Abau shield, green river, West Sepik, Papua New-Guinea, flat wooden shield of oblong shape with top finial, adorned with mirroring motifs carved in relief and painted with natural pigments of red, black and white. Two perforations on the sides of the shield originally to thread through fibre strap. Such shields would be wielded with expertise to hypnotize, impress and unsettle the viewers. 126 x 54 cm