A more moody picture. You can just discern a black tint in places on the wood, what is left of a black paint. Most observable in the bottom left arc. I have found this interesting PHD thesis on Mendi ans Sluka colour. Scroll down to page 53 and you will find lots of useful shield information which one would not find in the collecting world. Shields were repainted when the colour wore off or at an owners whim. I think in this picture you get some idea of use wear. I do not have the camara and lighting skills to show things at there best. What I thought was white clay inlay is after x10 inspection, places where the red paint is flaked off showing the rougher untouch wood.
http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3562/1/Rowe...ESIS.pdf?DDD5+