Venetian Shield

Constructed of wood covered with leather on both sides, and of convex and near-circular form, the outer face of this shield is decorated with a central field painted with translucent red lacquer, highlighting a rich arabesque pattern of tooled and lacquered gilt scrollwork intertwined with leafy flowering tendrils and Ottoman-style cartouches.
Brilliantly tooled, lacquered and varnished shields made in the Ottoman Turkish style were manufactured in Venice around 1600 CE. Made to imitate the highly skilled and prized workmanship of Ottoman bookbinding, Venetian leatherworkers specialised in making book bindings, helmets, shields and arrow quivers that closely followed Ottoman leather traditions and techniques. This vogue for fashioning Ottoman inspired armour and weapons probably emerged in Europe following the Turkish wars of the 16th century CE, a time when the cities of Venice and Istanbul shared close diplomatic relations. This shield was most likely used for ceremonial occasions, perhaps as accessories for pseudo-Turkish costume.