This is a rare polychrome painted Buffalo hide war shield from the Southern Plains Native American Indians, attributed to the Pawnee Indians of Kansas and dating to the 19th Century. Pawnee and “Southern Plains” shields are very uncommon to come across in comparison to other tribes, with this being a nice example. The shield is comprised of wetted and parfleche Buffalo Bison hide stretched over a bent wood tree branch frame and secured with hide lacing. The shield has a cross-shaped branch support on the reverse side and braided shoulder strap still intact. The front shows old painted designs in colors of green, yellow, and black and two old feathers tied onto the front with hand rolled tin jingle dangle cones and buckskin lacing. The feathers are not from a bird of prey. The piece is done in both powder trade paints and natural ocher/ochre mineral pigment dyes, with some fading and flaking off the paint, which is expected from age and use. Provenance: The piece has an earlier Christie’s Auction tag, marked Christie’s with barcode of 2550 6747, and was supposedly purchased from their American Indian Art Sale in New York in the late-20th Century for $7,000 by noted collector Cyrus Eaton of London, England. The shield itself shows a half yellow/green, half green coloring with circle bullseye at the center outlined in black with a yellow center and green outer layer and crescent moon above, framed by the two turkey or game feathers. The shield appears to be a nice mid-to-late-19th Century example and could have been preserved or touched up over the years. This is truly a unique piece with rich coloring and appearance and interesting, attributed provenance. The shield measures 22 inches across.