Igorot/Bontok Shield
 

Just lucked out and found this sleeper on epray for a very nice price. A nice Igorot/Bontoc shield that looks to be in decent shape for a change. It measures 34" in length and is 13" wide. As this is my first shield purchase any and all help with the age of this piece and information on it would be greatly appreciated. These are the photos from the auction, not the best but will give an idea of condition.


Best Robert

Robert, here is one to compare.

Great photo Estcrh, thank you for posting it for comparison. Except for the extra carving in the two cutout on the top of the shield and that mine has two rows of rattan bindings top and bottom instead of one the two are very similar. On the inside of my example (the fifth photo) there is a piece of wood lashed in place, can anyone tell me its purpose? Being carved the way it is it looks like it might have had more of a purpose than just that of being a reinforcement. Also, could the damage (sixth and seventh photos) on the upper right outer edge have been caused by being struck repeatedly during dance ceremonies?

Hi Robert,

Likely that was used to stabilize a spear when held with the same hand as the shield.

Nonoy

Hello Robert,

very nice old Bontoc shield with good signs of use. Here a informative link about this shields: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=bontoc+shield

Regards,
Detlef

Nonoy, Thank you for helping identify what the wooden piece was used for. I have posted a photo (borrowed from Detlef) that I think shows how it would be useful for the purpose that you suggested.

Detlef, I had just finished reading the post that you kindly posted the link to here and as you say, it is very informative. I hope that you do not mind my using the photo you posted there here as an example.

Can anyone tell me if there are any indicators present on my example that might help point to its possible age and what they are?

If you look at the shield from the image you just posted compared to your shield they look very similar.

Hello Robert,

no problem! I think that you shield is clearly Bontoc and around 1900, maybe older.

Regards,
Detlef

Thank you for the good news on the age of this piece Detlef. I am always worried when I purchase something that I am not at all familial with that it will turn out to be something that was made for "those who travel". I have been looking for one of these and a Moro taming (actually any shield of Philippine origin) for quite a while and was starting to think that I would never find one that I could actually afford without having to win the lottery first.

Hello Robert,

I am far away to be an expert in this field but the pictures show a good patina to the wood, please show some close ups special from the handle.
Like said, very nice Bontoc shield!

Regards,
Detlef

Hello Detlef, The shield is scheduled to arrive on Monday if everything goes right and I will post them then. As this is my first large wooden piece what should and should not be done to it as far as cleaning and preservation? I was thinking of wiping it down with a cloth dampened with a mixture of distilled water and Murphy's oil soap to remove any loose dust or dirt and then giving a good coat of Ren wax. Is this an acceptable way of treating it or is there a more prefered way to go about its cleaning?

Hello Robert,

I think this will work, try before at a place in the back which is not visible direct. When I have seen it correct is there a small piece of wood just over one of the rotan bindings which could need some care, maybe you will be able to fix it in a better way. Be careful and don't overclean the shield.

Regards,
Detlef

The shield arrived today and I am more than happy with it. The bit of damage that Detlef pointed out looks to have been caused by a strike from something with a sharpened edge. The blow did not penetrate the shield completely and most of the damage to be wood was caused when whatever it was struck with was withdrawn pulling part of the wood forward. The inside surface of the handle has the feel of polished stone, a texture that is only acquired by years of being handled. The shield has years of dust accumulated on it that I will be using a soft brush to remove. The only real problem with the shield is that the wood is extremely dry. This is where I need help from the experts in wood preservation. What is the best course of action that should be taken to help preserve the wood and what should I use to do it? In the past I have used linseed or olive oil warmed in a double boiler and then brushed onto the wood wiping off any excess oil that did not soak in after a few seconds. After the oil I would then apply a coat of Ren wax and call it a day. Any and all help and suggestions on what should or should not be done to this will be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Robert

P.S. I will post more photos after the cleaning and preservation are complete.

Hello Robert,

nice to read that you are happy with it! I also use liseed oil but haven't used it by my Bontoc shields because it will darken the surface. My one is as well very dry and I've done nothing. It's hanging at the wall and don't see any fights so it's save for break! :) Maybe only Ren wax? :shrug:

Regards,
Detlef

Thank you Detlef for your reply and advice on this. It is hard to believe that out of all the experts here that none have had experience with an item in this condition, or that no other advice is being offered on how to care for it.:( I have plenty of experience on working with smaller wooden items and (over the years) have learned that what works for them does not always work the same for larger items. I think that I will leave it "as is" for now as my last experience with having someone else do work for me on a large wooden item turned out to be a disaster.

Best,
Robert

Indeed! :shrug:

Hi Robert,

Taking off dust by use of a brush is a basic step for me. Next is a ren wax treatment, unless the shield is too delicate in which case no treatment is made.

Nonoy

Hello Nonoy, and thank you for your advice. I have cleaned the dust and lint from it using a clean paint brush and canned air like used to clean dust from keyboards. I then applied some ren wax to a small area on the back of the shield where it was sucked into the wood like a sponge. The wood is not delicate or falling apart when being handled it is just VERY dry like it might have been hung on a wall by a fireplace or something else that helped to over dry the wood. That is why I was asking if a light coating of either olive or linseed oil might be applied before the wax to help rehydrate the wood.

Best,
Robert

For my own personal preference I would lightly brush on the linseed oil and wipe off the excess with a clean rag; be sure to use boiled linseed oil. I mix mine with lemon oil extract (about a 1 to 3 mixture); this tends to thin the coating, allow it to penetrate the wood more easily and not to leave a thick tacky residue.

Hi Robert, I do not use linseed or olive oil and therefore have no observations on their effect.

Drac2k, After doing a search on the net and actually going out and checking various commercial products I have found that quite a few of the ones I can find are not much more than a mixture of olive or linseed oils and lemon oil or juice just as you have suggested. As i am out of linseed oil at the moment but have an abundance of olive oil I will be trying a mixture of it and lemon oil on a place on the back side of the shield followed by a coat of ren wax to see how it works out. I will post the results early next week as I am going out over the weekend. The only drawback that I can see is that it will most likely darken the wood a bit, how much it will darken it is yet to be seen. I will also have to be careful not to get it on the rattan banding as it could very easily cause them to stretch and loosen. Thank you all for your help and suggestions.

Best,
Robert

Robert, the idea of olive oil is very intriguing to me, I'd be interested in hearing about your results. In regards to the boiled linseed oil and lemon oil extract, I've found it to work to good effect on rattan wrappings as well ; it brings back to life the dry and cracked bindings and retards further degradation . I really haven't noticed any stretching, even though I haven't specifically looked for it.

I was wondering if the use of olive or linseed oil on wood is a recommended practice by conservationists in museums.

I don't have any experience with olive oil, but the research done some years back and read to the Ameircan Institute for Conservation (conservation-us.com) showed that linseed oil, in time, blackens wood irreversibly.

It leaves a great finish on gunstocks, but in time it degrades and damages the surface.

On ethnographic materials I would not use any oils. A light wax, if anything. Renaissance Wax has been the go-to for museums world wide for decades and has proven to be the most benign and is easily removable.

Based upon my own experience of 20 years of using this combination of boiled linseed oil and lemon oil extract, I have not found that to be the case . I have even used it on old furniture to revitalize the wood, however what might be pleasing to me, might not be to someone else, so this is only a suggestion and a small test area should be applied first to determine if it has the desired result you crave.

I prefer not to use any substance that is irreversible. My shields will likely outlive me and so my personal preference on their appearance (for the purpose of display) does not affect my decision on matters of conservation.

The effects of this blackening might not be noticeable for eighty to a hundred years later. Linseed oil does put a great finish on wood, or else we would not be having this discussion.

What I am addressing here is something that falls into the "unintended consequences" category. Well meaning work, but nature, in the long run, not cooperating. I'm no chemist, but, we all know that organic substances do not remain stable over time, and that's the rub here. There's even a good quality petroleum based grease that was the gold standard for gun storage for years that, when applied following the directions, in about two or three years, will turn a brightly polished steel or iron surface a mottled grey! Once it reaches this stage, it appears to be stable, but, then again, in another twenty years, who knows? It changed once, why not again, but not in a way that one would be happy with.

I will look for this article, but since it was over twenty years ago, a lot of water has gone under the bridge, and we may be out of luck.

I use linseed oil for wooden and also horn hilts and scabbards of my ethnograhic weapons even for the nice finish (yes, it make the wood/horn darker, see the different here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ighlight=luzon) and to oil the parts to prevent cracks and don't let become the oiled parts to dry. I don't see any risk by this, think about that many our weapons coming from very hot parts of the world. When a native has taken his weapon in hand he will oil it with his own sweat and remaining oil from food he has eaten before so all sorts of natural oil feeding the wood/horn or also ivory over decades and give it the so demanded patina. So why should linseed oil wrong for this parts?
But frankly said I never have oiled one of my shields. :shrug:

Regards,
Detlef

This is based on the assumption that all oils are alike. Yes, the short term benefits of enlivening the wood (horn, ivory,or what have you) for most oils are the same, but the point I'm trying to make are the issues of long term changes.

Hand oils and the mild abrasion from use and handling that build up the patina most of us admire are not applied in one or two wet coats. It is built up slowly and incrementally over years.

On a similar note, when old leather has been treated with "feeding" applications, it is irreversibly changed for the worse. Dealers of antique leather items are, in the spirit of disclosure, listing these treatments so that collectors will know what they're getting into, and not return them later.

Once we begin to see the detrimental effects of oils and other "treatments", this can become the norm in this field as well, essentially devaluing the particular piece due to it being oiled or " fed".

When in doubt, do nothing. It's lasted this long without oil, why be proactive?

Without beeing a chemist I am aware that oils could be very different so I write obove that all sorts of natural oil had feed the touched parts with it.

And I never "bath" it with oil but rub it with a damb cloth only. But agree full with you, "when in doubt, do nothing"! :) ;)

Regards,
Detlef

FROM THE CURRENT STANDARDS FOR RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION THE ITEM SHOULD BE CAREFULLY CLEANED AND PUT AWAY IN A CAREFULLY CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT IE. HUMIDITY, LIGHT, ECT. HANDLING ONLY WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND THEN WITH CLEAN WHITE GLOVES IN A CLIMATE CONTROLLED AREA. EVEN WHEN THIS IS ALWAYS FOLLOWED THE MATERIAL WILL DETERIORATE OVER TIME, THE MORE TIME THE MORE CHANGE. THIS IS ONE APPROACH BUT IS DIFFICULT TO SET UP FOR MOST OF US AND MANY OF US LIKE TO HAVE OUR ITEMS WHERE WE CAN SEE AND HANDLE THEM.
FROM A MUSEUMS CONSERVATORS VIEW ADDING ANYTHING TO A ITEM IS BAD. BUT LEATHER THAT IS FED WILL BE LESS LIKELY TO DRY OUT, SPLIT AND CRACK THAN UNTREATED LEATHER OVER TIME, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS MOVED AND HANDLED. ONCE LEATHER AND OTHER MATERIALS PASS A CERTAIN POINT RESTORATION IS NOT POSSIBLE AND A DECISION TO FIX IT PERMANENTLY WITH A ARTIFICIAL COATING OR ENCLOSE IT IN A CASE OR SOLID RESIN. IN THE PAST SUCH ITEMS WERE USUALLY DISCARDED ,LEATHER, PAPER, FABRIC, FEATHERS AND WOOD ARE ESPECIALLY FRAGILE AND OFTEN LOST. WHEN MATERIAL REACHES THAT POINT HANDLING OR OPEN DISPLAY WITHOUT FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE ITEM IS NOT POSSIBLE.
TRUE WHEN ADDING PRESERVATIVES THERE WILL BE A BUILD-UP OF RESIDUE OF OILS, POLISH OR WAX AND PERHAPS DUST MAY STICK WHICH WILL IN TURN ATTRACT MOISTURE. BUT IT WILL OFTEN PROLONG THE TIME WE CAN HANDLE AND OPENLY DISPLAY THE ITEMS. TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN THIS REGIMEN WILL INCREASE OUR HANDLING OF OUR COLLECTIONS SO MAY ADD A BIT OF WEAR AND HOPEFULLY ENJOYMENT TO OUR COLLECTION. MANY LIGHT COATS OF ANY PRESERVATIVE APPLIED OVER TIME IS MUCH BETTER THAN A HEAVY COAT SOAKING THE ITEM.
THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN IS HIGHLY CORROSIVE MORE THAN MOST PLANETS AS SO MUCH IS WATER AND SALT (THE UNIVERSAL SOLVENT). SO ITS NATURAL FOR ALL THINGS TO CHANGE REGARDLESS OF OUR BEST EFFORTS. IF YOU WANT PROOF LOOK AT OLD SCHOOL PICTURES AND THEN LOOK IN THE MIRROR :D
SO ITS BEST TO LEARN ALL YOU CAN ABOUT PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION AND CHART A COURSE YOU CAN FOLLOW AS NO ONE CAN MAKE YOUR CHOICES FOR YOU. WE ALL WANT TO PRESERVE THESE ITEMS AND HOPEFULLY PASS THEM ALONG IN AS GOOD OR BETTER SHAPE THAN WE OFTEN FIND THEM.

I would like to thank everyone for their help and opinions on how and what to do and not to do to help me in the preservation of this shield. As of this time I have only done a light cleaning with a small soft brush and canned air to try to clean it as much as possible without doing any damage to the wood. I did apply (to a small area on the back side of the shield) a small amount of ren wax that was absorbed almost instantly like a dry sponge soaking up water. I have done nothing sense. That said, I think that I will only do one more cleaning attempt using a cloth dampened with a little distilled water and Murphy's Oil Soap to try to remove the more stubborn dust build up. Thank you all again for your help and if anyone has any further information or advice that they would like to offer on this item it too would be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Robert