Large Antique Chinese Cane ‘Tiger’ Shield ‘Po’

A  large painted cane shield from China called a  ‘Po’. Supposedly used by the Tiger soldiers who were elite ‘shock’ troops used to terrify the enemy during wars of the 19th century. There are records of them being present during both the Taiping and Boxer Rebellions, as well as some earlier references to tiger-striped uniforms during the 18th Century. The large gently convex shield made of heavy cane painted dramatically with a tigers face with open jaws. The reverse retaining a large cane-bound wooden handgrip (reattached). Very good condition. not many of these shields survive in good condition due the fragile nature of the cane. Many of the cane shield offered are much smaller than this one, having a very large 35 inches diameter approximately. Please note the colours of the paintwork can appear darker in reality than the flash photography suggests. China, 19th century. The swords in the images are presented for scale and are for sale separately on this website.
 Far East, oriental shield, chinese