Ethiopian shield Metal

[roanoa]

Hi. Good find. The metal shields are actually quite common and, in my opinion, not as valuable as the hide ones. Their usage dates back to Menelik II's times (about 1890 - 1900). They are all identical in shape and size, which suggests a common source. The backing is very fragile, being made of the "horrible" (in terms of quality) Ethiopian "Moroccan" leather. This leather quickly deteriorated and to-day it is almost impossible to find one that it's not ripped to shreds. The face of these shields was covered with velvet of any possible colour. I have seen PINK, YELLOW, BROWN, GREEN, BLACK, RED and PURPLE. Regardless of the colur, the velvet usually fades into a brownish shade that sometime is confused by the seller (...) with leather.... It looks like your velvet was originally BLUE. The decorative brass strips were, again, mass produced, and were usually chemically "gilded"; sometimes, silver-washed. There are THREE recognizable patterns, as per my picture. I have never seen any other one. The pattern in your shield is the only one I have ever seen also used in a leather shield. Your shield is missing the big center piece. But all the other pieces are there and in good shape. In my opinion, these shields became popular because of the weight. As decorated shields were mostly carried as a status symbol, these light MADE IN EUROPE (!!!) shields were sought after by the Abyssinians.