Shield (Dhàl)
Unknown
about 1750 · Leather, lacquer, iron, silver, textile · Arms and Armor
Shields of thick, extremely hard ox, antelope, or rhinoceros hide were often preferred in India over those made of steel. The small size of this example, with its deeply convex profile and turned-out edges that could snare an opponent’s weapon, suggests a date after about 1750. The black lacquered surface is decorated with raised medallions containing a Persian poem referring to “the garden of Bengal,” indicating that it was probably made in that province in northeast India.
- Artist
- Unknown
- Date
- about 1750
- Medium
- Leather, lacquer, iron, silver, textile
- Culture
- Indian, Bengal
- Department
- Arms and Armor
- Credit line
- Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
