Somba Rattan Shield, Togo, Based

Northern Togo builds its houses like small fortresses, clay towers with thatched caps, and the people who live in them have long had a sense of defense as architecture.

A shield, then, in the same spirit. Rattan coiled in tight rings, round as a wide-brimmed hat, with a pointed knob rising from the center like a steeple. Two small dark marks sit either side of it. Somba Peoples, Togo, twentieth century. Under a foot and a half tall on its black stand.

The coils are what hold your eye. Count them if you have a quiet afternoon.

It makes a very good hat for the wall.