This is astounding and historically important masterpiece of true American Indian art from the Kiowa of circa 1860-1870 featuring a buffalo hide polychrome painted pictorial war shield and cover from an ex-Museum East Coast; owned by a shaman / medicine man or chief. The large piece is comprised of thick Indian buffalo / bison hide hump center shield and an Indian tanned buckskin outer cover that is elaborately decorated. The shield is wonderfully polychrome painted using mineral pigment paints and further adorned with Indian tanned hide tied old red stroud woolen trade clothe selvedge fringes framing the shield covered in rolled tin jingle dangle cones tied with Indian tanned hides. The shield further shows typical Southern Plains medicine bundle sections at the top of Indian tanned hide sinew sewn with 1800’s period glass trade seed beads in red white heart, cobalt greasy blue and chalk white with a yellow ocher mineral pigment painted body and Indian tanned buckskin fringes. The front further shows another Indian tanned hide medicine bundle with old wound glass pony trade beads and an old solid brass hawk trade bell. From the center are a few old hawk trade bells and molted turkey feathers which are tied with Indian tanned hides and wrapped with sinew and red mineral pigment paints. The back has the original arm and shoulder strap of Indian tanned buffalo hide still attached with further horse tail hair scalp sections which are tied with Indian hide ties and covered with mineral pigment yellow ocher paint. The shield is highly detailed with mineral pigment paint showing a yellow ocher border with central white section framed in blue with blue dashes either representing rain or bullets with a central sun radiating in browns, blues and reds. The bottom shows what appears to be bear claws one in blue and yellow and one in blue and red. A shield of this much detail and size would have ben owned by a shaman medicine man or chief, as the average warrior would not posses a shield that is so elaborately decorated. Provenance: From an ex-Museum collection from the East Coast where the item was proudly displayed; one of the finest Kiowa Indian Wars era shields. The shield shows rich original patina from honest age and use, with some paint loss, slight cracking to the paint, some stiffening to the hide, but mostly very well museum-quality condition. Authentic Kiowa Indian Wars era relics are incredibly rare and highly sought after with this being a truly fine example. The shield body by itself measures 20-inches across, not including straps or fringes.