ARTIST UNKNOWN, TIWI PEOPLE, BATHURST OR MELVILLE ISLANDS

Executed on Bathurst or Melville Islands
Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney
Private collection, Melbourne

Left lower section of left hand arm is broken off. Lower section of right hand arm has been broken off and reattached, and the figure has been dettached from either its feet or original base. Pigment in stable condition with many small areas of pigment loss created by scuffing or rubbing over the years.
"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."

An early and rare Tiwi carving of a female figure, possibly depicting Bima (also known as Wai-ai), the ancestral wife of Purukuparli. The curvilinear form of this sculpture, with its tapering legs, the small round breasts and the placement of the ears are all unusual features in Tiwi sculpture. The feet of the figure are weathered making it difficult to determine whether the sculpture had a base. Nonetheless the painted designs and the dotting in particular, probably applied in the traditional manner with a pwata or wooden comb, are typically Tiwi and are associated with the Pukumani burial ceremony. A similarly decorated figure dating from 1965 by an unknown Tiwi artist, in the collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, is illustrated in Berndt, R.M. and E.S. Phillips (eds.), The Australian Aboriginal Heritage, Ure Smith, Sydney, 1973, p.191, figure 173a, and in O'Ferrall, M.A., Keepers of the Secrets: Aboriginal Art from Arnhemland in the Collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Art Galrlery of Western Australia, Perth, 1990, p.34, plate 30