This is a very unique authentic original polychrome painted pictorial shield from the Paiute Native American Indians and dating to the 19th Century. The shield shows an rawhide construction with rawhide sinew sewn top brace of two stripped wood branches. The rear of the shield shows obvious primitive archaic stone scrapping marks from when the hide was skinned and tanned by the early Indian owners. The entire front surface shows paint all done with mineral pigment dyes of various ocher colors with a light brown tan background having an Indian "red man" figure in the center wearing an antelope pronghorn headdress with five prominent American Bald Eagle feathers, not unlike to Assiniboine Pronghorn headdress offered by our company at our 6/30/2018 auction and seen in various photographs of Indian Chief's. The figure painted in the center of the shield is wearing a strike-a-lite beaded bag around his neck and the top of the shield shows a sun face or similar pictorial effigy scene in white, blue, black, and yellow. The shield carries a 1 3/8 inch by 2 3/4 inch early canvas tag secured to the shield with a braided wire with pressed led end. The tag is printed, "Guaranteed / Genuine Indian / Hand Made" then hand written, "Puite Shield" then again printed, "From Indian Trading Post / Petty & Chapman". Other examples of these Petty & Chapman tag have been found on various authentic artifacts offered for sale by such notable auction houses as Skinner Auction, Thomaston Place Auction Galleries and Desert West Auction. The shield is thought to date from the mid to late 19th Century(1800's) and shows a fine folk art like Indian painted surface with wonderful age. Provenance: The piece is from a historic and important American Indian antiquities collection in Billings, Montana and was said to be examined by an expert. Measures overall 19"x19.5". For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer۪s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.