Lot 11
  • 11

A BI-CORNUAL BASKET, NORTH EAST QUEENSLAND

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 AUD
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Description

  • Height: 46 cm Width: 35 cm
Natural earth pigments on woven lawyer cane

Provenance

Muralambeen Homestead, Far North Queensland
Private collection, Queensland

Condition

Generally in good condition, though there are a number of small areas where the woven cane is broken or missing throughout the basket in particular in a number of areas at the base. Both the left and right hand corns appear to have been restored
"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."

Catalogue Note

Cf. For an extensive discussion of the history, construction methods and use of Queensland rainforest baskets see Ewington, J.,'Working the River: Baskets of the rainforest,' and Henry, D. with T. Johnson, 'Jawun: An interview with Desley Henry,' in Queensland Art Gallery's catalogue of the exhibition Story Place: Indigenous Art of Cape York and the Rainforest, 2003, pp. 158-169.This catalogue features several illustrations of historical and contemporary bicornual baskets; or examples of 19th century baskets see Caruana, W., Aboriginal Art,World of Art Series,Thames and Hudson, London and New York, 2003, p.184, plate 161, in the collection of the Museum of Victoria, illus.; Davies, S.M. with R. Stack, Collected: 150 Years of Aboriginal Art and Artifacts at the Macleay Museum,The University of Sydney, Sydney, 2002, p.77, plate 88, illus.; and Morphy, H., Aboriginal Art, Phaidon, London, 1998, p.347, plate 231, in the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, illus.

Morphy says, 'The two-cornered baskets made from lawyer cane are striking and elegant objects.The mouth of the basket is circular; the body opens out with curved lines ending in sharply pointed corners. The form seems to be the architectural product of a mathematical formula combining strength with flexibility, a highly complex form based on simple principles...these rare objects epitomise the rich basketry traditions that exist throughout Australia wherever the raw materials are available' (ibid).

Jawun or bicornual baskets are unique in the range of basketry made by Indigenous Australians.The baskets are made by the people in the rainforest area from around Cooktown in the north to the Cardwell area in the south on the eastern coast of Cape York. Historically, they were made by men and used by
women although in more recent times women have made them too. Jawun have a variety of purposes: they are used as carrying baskets with the handle looped around the forehead; as fish traps in rivers where the horns of the baskets allow them to be wedged between sticks or rocks; and as sieves to leach out toxic substances from a variety of bush food. The larger jawun were also used for carrying babies. Painted baskets were made for special occasions such as funerals and the designs relate to those found on Queensland rainforest shields.

The baskets at lots 11 and 12 were collected on Muralambeen, a farming and grazing property in the Hinchinbrook Shire of North Queensland. Muralambeen was established by Christopher Allingham in 1876 in the floodplain of the Herbert River. The property has been in the family ever since. The property employed many Indigenous workers over the years; the women wove carrying baskets but they also traded with neighbouring groups to obtain
jawun or bicornual baskets.The baskets in lots 11 and 12 originated in the Herbert River Region and were probably made by members of the Nyawaygi or Wargamaygan groups.