Shield with Guardian Spirit
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The buffalo bull on the cover of this heavy rawhide shield is the owner’s guardian spirit. Although the shield provided physical protection in battle, it was the image that kept the man from harm. The animal appeared to the owner in a vision after a period of prolonged fasting and prayer. The painting—a dramatic expression of spiritual revelation—conveys the power of this encounter and communicates the owner’s connection with the supernatural.
Artwork Details
- Title: Shield with Guardian Spirit
- Date: ca. 1850
- Geography: United States, North Dakota
- Culture: Arikara
- Medium: Buffalo rawhide, native-tanned leather, pigment
- Dimensions: Diameter: 20 in. (50.8 cm)
- Classification: Hide-Implements
- Credit Line: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, Purchase: the Donald D. Jones Fund for American Indian Art (2004.35)
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing