DEAF TOMMY MUNGATOPI

Painted on Melville Island in the 1960s
Private collection

The bark and painting appear to be in very good and stable condition with no visible repairs or restoration
"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 similar contemporaneous paintings by the artist in the collection of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, see Moon, Morning and Evening Stars, in Barnes, K., Kiripapurajuwi (Skills of Our Hands): Good Craftsman and Tiwi Art, Kathy Barnes, Darwin, 1999, illus. p.43; and Sun Shining on a Coral Reef, c.1970, in Crumlin, R. and A. Knight, Aboriginal Art and Spirituality, Dove Publications, Melbourne, 1995, illus. p.23, plate 4; the latter work also in Holmes, S. Le Brun, The Goddess and the Moon Man: The Sacred Art of the Tiwi Aborigines, Craftsman House, Sydney, 1995, illus. p.118 under the title, Full Moon Reflected in the Sea in the Country of Purakapali.

The label on the reverse reads: "In the Pulinari - (creation time) nobody died until Wai-ai a Tiwi goddess heard Tapara, the Moon Man (her husband's brother) calling her to his embrace. Wyah, the old Sun Woman saw them go, after leaving Jinaini, her baby son, under a bush. In great anger the Sun Woman decided to kill the baby, to punish the mother for her adulterous way.

So, she shone her hottest rays on the baby, scorching and killing him. Purukapali, the father, found his dead son and made the first Pukamani ceremony for him. Then weeping and wailing, he walked into the sea and drowned himself."