JIMMY MIDJAW MIDJAW

Painted on Croker Island, Western Arnhem Land circa 1960
Private collection

The bark is in a good and stable condition and has only very minor hairline surface cracks, the pigments are in good condition overall and it is possible there has been some minor conservation, particuarly to the background to the right of the left hand mimih and a few other small areas
"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 a related work by the artist see The Giant and the Yam Totem, c.1969, 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.42, plate 45, illus. For similar depictions of the female form by Midjaw Midjaw, see Manubi, 1949, in the collection of the Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia, in Berndt, R. M. (ed.), Australian Aboriginal Art, Ure Smith, Sydney, 1964, plate 20; Mam spirit female, c.1963, in the collection of the National Museum of Australia, in Perkins, H. (ed.), Crossing Country: The Alchemy of Western Arnhem Land Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2004, p.27; and by an unidentified artist, The Mamandi woman, Nadubi, c.1948, in Mountford, C. P., Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land, volume 1: Art, myth and symbolism, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1956, p.201, plate 56D, illus.

The image appears to be a celebration of fertility: in human beings, where the figures are depicted as dancing, with their children in the background, within a circumscribed space – the cleared dancing or ceremonial ground; and of fertility in natural species, such as in the round or cheeky yam depicted. The analogy is evident, as the work of preparing the toxic yams for eating is usually the domain of women