7 Ancient Shields

Renaissance Pageant Shield

This is one of a small group of Renaissance pageant shields painted on both their interiors and exteriors with scenes from Roman history and Classical mythology in grisaille (tones of gray) on a ground of gold leaf. Many of the details are rendered in sgraffito (the technique of scratching through a surface to reveal a different color underneath, in this case, gold). The gold thus exposed is impressed with comma-shaped marks to heighten its light-reflecting quality. Girolamo da Treviso was one of the few sixteenth-century artists to employ the demanding sgraffito technique, which had gone out of fashion by the late fifteenth century. The battle scenes on the inside of the shield, perhaps illustrating episodes from the life of the Roman general Scipio, show a keen observation of Classical costume and armor, both of which were known from antique sculpture and coins. The style of painting, the physical types, and the energetic poses are strongly indebted to Giulio Romano (about 1499–1546), who was Raphael's assistant and later was the court painter to the dukes of Mantua. Girolamo da Treviso worked with Giulio in Mantua in 1527.

Renaissance Pageant Shield
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Middle Eastern Style Shield

This is one of a large group of shields decorated in a Middle Eastern style and thought to have been made for the bodyguard of Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, prince-archbishop of Salzburg (reigned 1587–1612).

Middle Eastern Style Shield
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Early Nineteenth-Century Spanish Shield

The three lions, masterfully embossed in low relief, refer to the heraldic arms of the shield's owner, who unfortunately is not identified. Since the shield is recorded as having come from Spain in the early nineteenth century, its owner was undoubtedly a Spanish nobleman. Cuts across the surface of the lions indicate that the shield saw active use, most likely in a tournament on foot.

Early Nineteenth-Century Spanish Shield
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Golden Lion Shield

This shield was probably fabricated in India, lacquered in Southeast Asia, then exported to Europe. It would have been prized as a European type of luxury item made in Asia with local techniques and materials. The black lacquer is emblazoned with an unidentified coat of arms featuring a gold lion on a red field below a helmet with foliate mantling, all encircled by a wide band of ornamental floral scrolls.

Golden Lion Shield
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Seventeenth-Century Indian Shield

Of sturdy construction, and suitable for battle, this is a rare example of a distinctive type of seventeenth-century shield made in Muslim India, possibly the Deccan. In both conception and execution its chiseled and damascened ornamentation compares closely to that of only two other known shields: one in the collection of the Furusiyya Art Foundation (inv. RB-131) and the other formerly in the collection of Prosper Holstein (1843-1926) in Lyons and now probably in the Musée des Beaux-Arts at Châteaudun, France. The state of preservation is noteworthy. Although the gold-damascened ornamentation has become obliterated in some areas, it is very well preserved over the chiseled ornament, in contrast to the two comparable shields, where no such highlights are apparent. The lining on the interior appears to be a variant of that on the shield that was in the Holstein Collection, and may be original.

Seventeenth-Century Indian Shield
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Ceremonial Indian Shield

In form and materials, this is a common type of Indian shield, of which there are several examples in the Department of Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. However, in size, and, most importantly, in decoration, this object is both distinct and very rare. Indian shields are typically adorned with floral and/or geometric patterns, as well as animal and hunting scenes. The unusual design on this work reflects scenes of Rajasthani court culture, which are found in miniature and mural painting. Later, this design could be found on Rajasthani and Gujarati textiles. It demonstrates how the artist was inspired by these works and carried these motifs to an unconventional type of object. Based on the subject matter of the decoration, as well as its small size, it is highly likely that this shield was carried in royal processions or used for ceremonial purposes. The style of the decoration, particularly the figures, provides grounds for ascertaining where the piece was created, a rare occurrence in the field of Indian arms and armor.

Ceremonial Indian Shield
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Fifteenth-Century Iranian Shield

This shield, engraved with large cartouches enclosing floral arabesques, may have originated in fifteenth-century Iran.

Fifteenth-Century Iranian Shield
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