Galerie Flak, located in Paris, France, is presently exhibiting a Phantom war shield from Papua New Guinea.

The war shield featured is noted as originating from Wahgi Valley, a valley in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea, believed to of been produced in the second half of the 20th century. It’s made from carved wood, pigments and rattan measuring 61 ¾ inches in height.

The front of the war shield prominently features an illustration of the Phantom depicted in a standing posture with his arms crossed. Above his head, in the upper portion of the shield, the word ‘Phantom’ is inscribed in red, set against a green background. The Phantom is painted in his purple costume with stripped trunks.

The description presented on the Galerie Flak website states:

This Papuan war shield with a painted depiction of “The Phantom” comics superhero is a great example of cross-cultural influences in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.

Warfare has been at the center of Highlands life since immemorial times. The shield has always been considered an extension of the warrior himself.

When warfare was expected, warriors repainted their shields to ensure that the colors shone brilliantly against the sun to dazzle and threaten the opposing side. In the western Pacific, shields bore the name of warriors, and possessed a life force, or spirit, that connected them to their ancestors.

As stated by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, from the 1980s – 1990s the Phantom re-emerged on Highlands battle shields during a revival of inter-tribal fighting. In this period, the Wahgi people revived and repainted old battle shields with new designs that transformed the shields into communicative forms. By incorporating the image of the Phantom on a shield, warriors hoped to capture some of his symbolic power and incite fear among their opponents. The Phantom, an immortal superhero carrying firearms and wearing a skull symbol on his belt was indeed seen as an inspiring and projective figure for Papua New Guinea warriors.

The war shield showcasing the Phantom at Galerie Flak is available for purchase, with a ‘Price on Request‘ button accessible, which is located HERE.

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For further information regarding the depiction of the Phantom on war shields from Papua New Guinea, please refer to HERE.

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