Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Shield with Supernatural Being
Cheyenne or Lakota (Teton Sioux)
Not on view
The protective power of this shield, made of muslin stretched over a wood hoop, resides in the painted image of a supernatural being and in the cluster of feathers from various birds associated with the spirit world. On the upper half is a mysterious, visionary creature with the head and claws of an eagle and the body of a lizard. A group of dots below represents both hail—the power to destroy—and the bullets the shield will turn away.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
