- 184
DJAWA
Estimate
28,000 - 35,000 AUD
bidding is closed
Description
- Djawa
- UNTITLED (CEREMONIAL MOKUY FIGURE)
- Natural earth pigments on carved softwood
- Height: 100 cm
Provenance
Executed at Milingimbi, Central Arnhem Land circa 1960
Private collection
Sotheby's, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 9 July 2001, lot 60
Private collection
Private collection
Sotheby's, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 9 July 2001, lot 60
Private collection
Condition
The figure is in very good condition with only minor areas of pigment loss and scuffing.
"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."
"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. See two mokuy figures by unknown artists from Milingimbi: Mokuy, c.1960, in Lüthi, B. (ed.), Aratjara, Art of the First Australians: Traditional and contemporary works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, DuMont, Cologne, 1993, p.160, pl.31; and (Unidentified subject), c.1965, in the collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, in O'Ferrall, M.A., Keepers of the Secrets: Aboriginal Art from Arnhemland in the Collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, 1990, p.74, pl.88, illus.
A sculpture representing a spirit being, the work displays several of the characteristics common to figure sculptures from Milingimbi in the 1960s; the clan designs are painted back and front, extending from the shoulders to the knees, and composed along a vertical axis. The knees are turned facing out, rather than forward. The design on the front of the figure may refer to a flowering yam plant, associated with the ancestral Morning Star. See J. Hoff, 'Aboriginal carved and painted human figures in north-east Arnhem Land,' in Ucko, P.J. (ed.), Form in indigenous art: Schematisation in the art of Aboriginal Australia and prehistoric Europe, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra, 1977, pp.156-64, for an analysis of figures from Milingimbi and Yirrkala made in the 1960s
A sculpture representing a spirit being, the work displays several of the characteristics common to figure sculptures from Milingimbi in the 1960s; the clan designs are painted back and front, extending from the shoulders to the knees, and composed along a vertical axis. The knees are turned facing out, rather than forward. The design on the front of the figure may refer to a flowering yam plant, associated with the ancestral Morning Star. See J. Hoff, 'Aboriginal carved and painted human figures in north-east Arnhem Land,' in Ucko, P.J. (ed.), Form in indigenous art: Schematisation in the art of Aboriginal Australia and prehistoric Europe, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra, 1977, pp.156-64, for an analysis of figures from Milingimbi and Yirrkala made in the 1960s