Shields are both weapons and image carriers. The close link between these functions dates back to antiquity but took on fresh significance in the early modern period: at a time when shields were losing their military relevance, they became even more sought-after as image carriers. The weapon found a new purpose in this role. This publication traces the change in the use of shields, showing what it means to carry them as image carriers on one’s own body, examining the role such objects play in generating and conveying pictorial meaning, and reconstructing the new functional, spatial and narrative contexts of image shields. The focus is on the key phase from the 15th to the 17th century, with additional insights into antiquity and cultural contexts outside Europe. A first in-depth examination of the shield as an image carrier and topic of art theoryPresentation of little-known objects from European and American collections References to the animal kingdom (turtle) and processes of transcultural entanglement