Damm, Charles...that is one badass shield!!! Where can I get one!! Beautiful depiction on the front. Reminds me of the Chinese Fu Dogs/Lion/ Evil tempered Pekinese dog
That is an interesting looking bone in his mouth...some sort of forked arrow/ scepter/ pole arm.
Regarding if it's Thai or Burmese, I'm not entirely sure...I really haven't seen any shields like this from Burma that are as ornate, but not to say they don't exist....most shields I've seen pictures of the Northern Burmese ethnic groups...Naga, Kachin, etc and infinite sub groups which are not as ornate. Obviously though by the highly skilled and diverse craftsmanship seen in the Dha from the ethnic groups in Burma, this level of skill was present.
As I brought up earlier in a thread:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=11786
It is puzzling why we don't see more examples of Burmese weapons other than swords...muskets, shields, pole arms brought back by UK soldiers & colonist....or Thai examples from early Portuguese, Dutch traders...followed by English, French, etc
Talking with Michael Charney, he reminded me that some Thai artisans where brought back to Burma during various raids and sacks throughout Thailand...therefore some crafts are similar...and that what we think of Thailand & Burma didn't exist then but really more of a loose collection of tribes and states that borders and rulers frequently changed alliance...eg...The city state of Chiang Mai frequently changed alliance between Ayutthaya and Burma.
Wow, what a stunning shield...thanks for sharing!