Images(4)

Trobiand Shield (ABDUA:63451)

AssociatedAssociated with William MacGregor (Towie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 1846 - 1910)

Object NameTrobriand shield

MediumWood, pigment

ClassificationsApplied Art

AcquisitionUniversity of Aberdeen Museums & Special Collections.

CopyrightImages reproduced with the permission of University of Aberdeen Museums & Special Collections.

LocationOn Display - Provost Skene's House

Object numberX000650

About MeWilliam MacGregor spent much of his career in the southern hemisphere. This wooden shield comes from the Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea, and dates from 1850-1858. Unique to the island, the shield is painted with images of birds and serpents in red, white and black paint. The two wooden carved figures – a male figure and a female figure – also come from the Trobriand Islands.

The male figure, dates from 1899 and is seated on a stool with one arm touching his neck. Geometric patterns filled with lime, have been carved into the statue, extending down his back and onto the stool. The female figurine is made from polished wood dates from 1850-1899 and is decorated with zigzag, wavy and spiral carvings filled with lime. The statue stands upright on a stool and has a large domed head, a long pointed nose and scrollwork eyes.

The shield and carved figures were collected by William MacGregor during his time as Administrator of British New Guinea for the British government from 1888-1894. He later gifted his ethnographical collection to the University of Aberdeen with the aim of inspiring students to explore the world.

The presentation case of medals contains awards given to William MacGregor for a range of achievements. The case contains the gold jewelled collar of a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George, given to British subjects for exceptional services abroad or in the British Commonwealth. It also contains the Mary Kingsley Medal of 1900 given for anti-malaria work in Nigeria by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and the Britain Albert Medal for life saving at sea.

For more information about this object, which belongs to the collection of the University of Aberdeen Museums & Special Collections, visit:

https://calm.abdn.ac.uk/museums/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=ABDUA%3a63451

Exhibitions

Provost Skene's House