Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


117 - East African (Somali) Leather Gaschan Shield, Late 19th to Early 20th Century

A leather shield with a domed front of dark richly embossed leather and a reverse (grip) side of lighter leather. The shield is just over 14 inches (36 cm.) in diameter and measures 2 2/3 inches (6.8 cm.) in elevation from the back side of the rim to the central high point. Thickness including the handle is just under 4 inches (10 cm.). The shield is in an good state of preservation with minimal warpage and a few old shallow cuts to the face. An old leather thong has been tied to the grip and enters a woven area where the strip has been split before 4 slender strips emerge, one having lost most of its length. Another modern thong has also been tied around the handle. Weight is 37¼ ounces (1062 grams). Lew dated this as circa 1890 to 1900.


East African (Somali) Leather Shield

East African (Somali) Leather Shield

East African (Somali) Leather Shield

East African (Somali) Leather Shield



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