Robin Hood, King Phillip's Green Army Shield

original movie prop

A shield used by King Phillip's army in the 2010 Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe movie Robin Hood. Betrayed by his king and imprisoned during the Crusades, Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) and his band of prisoners flee, assuming the identity of a fallen royal escort returning the crown of England after Richard's death " not realising that they will be dragged into a plot by the French to take the crown for themselves.

This style of shield was used in the scenes towards the end of the movie when the French King invades England with a small but determined army. The 'kite' shaped shield is made from wood with a curved top, and has been covered in canvas. The front of the shield is padded slightly for the actor's protection during action scenes. Finished in a deep green paint, the shield features three yellow fleur de lis emblems on the front. It has a leather arm strap and carry strap on the back which is held in place by rivets that can be seen from the front as small round dents. An identifying feature on this style of shield is the reinforced section of metal at the taped bottom tip, which is in the shape of a particularly long arrow.

The entire shield shows signs of wear from use on production including pieces of paint flaking off and discolouration. The bottom section of the shield has also become weak during storage, causing a minor line on the front.