I am in possession of a wooden shield that appears to be very old. I would appreciate any information on the type and approximate age. The description is as follows:

34" in Circumference.
Concave shape/ Center front has a conical shape.
3" Round Inset in the Center with a square hole for the boss.
Edged with a bent hardwood held in place by wooden pegs.
Inside of shield has two enarms carved from the same piece of wood.
The inside of the shield has a heavy coating of, what appears to be, a white, clay-like substance.
The face of the shield has a black coating on it.
It has lots of wear, with slash marks on the front that have been filled-in with some type of clay or mud.

We are interested in locating someone who specializes in shields who may be able to identify this one for us. We can send digital photos by email.

If anyone has a suggestion on who might be able to help us with identifying and possibly appraising this item, please let me know.

Thank you.

Without pictures to size up various details theres not much most folks here will be able to tell you to shead any light on this piece. If you can post both some overall and detail pics of construction it would help us help you immensely.