Ethiopian Buffalo Hide Shield

A round, dark shield bristling with conical studs around a raised central spine

This buffalo hide shield is by Buffalo Hide, from Ethiopia, East Africa, and dates to the late 19th century. Maasai shields, made of buffalo hide stretched over a wooden frame, use paint to signal status, with red generally marking a senior warrior and black, white and gray used by younger men. A circular, dark brown object with a long raised ridge down the middle. Rows of pointed cone-shaped bosses spread outward. The surface is smooth, glossy and slightly wrinkled, with stitched edges and a pale mark on the left. It is 20 inches wide, 8 deep and 20 high.

All those points suggest it prefers to be admired from a distance.