PADDY TJAMATJI (JAMPIN)

Commissioned by Chips Mackinolty at Warmun, Turkey Creek in 1985
Private collection, acquired from the above

The painting is in typical condition for an early work on canvas by the artist. There are many areas of pigment loss particularly to the white dots which indicate that the artist used very little binder. The brown, yellow and white pigment that remain are in relatively stable condition and there are various creases, smudges and scuffs in many areas of the canvas. It is recommended that the purchaser have the work inspected by a conservator in order to acertain whether any stablisation or conservation is required.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Cf. For paintings of the half-kangaroo by the artist, see an untitled painting executed in 1982 in the Berndt Museum of Anthropology Collection, in Stanton, J. E., Painting the Country: Contemporary Aboriginal art from the Kimberley region, Western Australia, The University of Western Australia Press, Nedlands, 1989, p.35, pl.31; Tawurr the kangaroo at Kanmanturr, c.1978, in the collection of the National Museum of Australia,  in   Taylor, L. (ed.), Painting The Land Story, National Museum of Australia, Canberra, 1999, p.31, pl.9; and Mythological kangaroo, Kimberley (Elgee Cliffs, Bedford Downs), 1983, in the Holmes à Court Collection, in Akerman, K., "I bin paintin' first." Paddy Jaminji - trail-blazing artist of the Warmun school of Aboriginal art, Holmes à Court Gallery, Perth, 2004, illus

A compendium of images of ancestral beings and sites in the area of Bedford Downs station including places referred to in the Gurirr Gurirr song cycle. Tawurr, the ancestral kangaroo whose bones rest in a cave on Kanmanturr (Elgee Cliffs) appears as a painting on the cave wall, the lower half of which has been eroded or washed away, thus only the upper half of the ancestor is depicted. Alongside Tawurr is Galiru the Rainbow Serpent and a crocodile. See Number 14 in the Gurirr Gurirr song cycle as recorded by the owner of the ceremony, Rover Thomas in Thomas, R. et al, Roads Cross: The paintings of Rover Thomas, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 1994, p.26