Lot 414

Pair of Aboriginal Malka Parrying Shields, ca. 1850–1950 CE

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Lot 414
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Pair of Aboriginal Malka Parrying Shields, ca. 1850–1950 CE
Pair of Aboriginal Malka Parrying Shields, ca. 1850–1950 CE
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Pair of Aboriginal Malka Parrying Shields, ca. 1850–1950 CE

Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500

Starting Bid: $500

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
July 30, 2026 8:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Australia, Aboriginal, Southeastern (New South Wales/Victoria), ca. 1850–1950 CE. Pair of narrow parrying shields, or malka, each carved from a single length of wattle wood into a slender, lenticular form. Each face carries geometric ornament in earth pigments — opposed triangles and lattice bands in white, red ochre, and charcoal — over finely incised lines cut with stone and marsupial-tooth tools. One retains a wrapping of possum fur at the central grip. The narrow parrying shield is known across southeastern Australia by several names, including malka, mulga, murgon, marr-aga, and kullak, typically fashioned from dense hardwoods such as ironbark or box and engraved with stone and animal-incisor tools. As Rodney Carter, a Dja Dja Wurrung/Yorta Yorta man, has said of such shields: "the lines, the colours, the carvings, they tell people who you are and, more importantly, they tell people where you come from." Size of larger: 8.3" W × 50.8" H (21.1 cm W × 129.0 cm H).

Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection

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Item # 203790

  • Condition: Areas of old, inactive insect damage, as well as nicks, chips, and abrasions, all commensurate with age. Chipping to corner of larger. Otherwise, both are intact and very nice with good remaining pigments and decoration. Rich patina throughout.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $749 $25
$750 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $7,499 $250
$7,500 $14,999 $500
$15,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000