Rare Madagascar Tanala War Shield 19th century

An extremely rare shield Tanala from Madagascar dating to around the turn of the 20th century / late 19th century. Carved from a single piece of wood covered with thick hide retainin some coloured fur to the front. Known as ‘ampinga’ in Malagasy, these shields were war shields used until the French occupation from 1897. This example is interesting as it has a small worn hole in the centre of the wooden handle which appears to be use from firesticks.

african