Aboriginal Art
Aboriginal Art
Property from an American Private Collection
A Fine and Rare Spear Thrower, Port Essington, Northern Territory
Auction Closed
May 25, 09:41 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from an American Private Collection
A Fine and Rare Spear Thrower, Port Essington, Northern Territory
Carved hardwood, bush string, animal sinew, earth pigments, and resin
47 ¼ in (120 cm)
Australian Private Collection
American Private Collection, acquired from the above in 2004
Cf. H. Basedow, "Anthropological Notes on the Coastal Tribes of the Northern Territory", Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 1907, vol. 31, pp. 1-62, pls. 1-19; and S. Davies, Collected: 150 Years of Aboriginal Art and Artifacts at the Macleay Museum, Sydney, 2002, p. 22, pl. 10, for examples of a similar quality collected before 1878.
"Aboriginal people in the Port Essington area used this type of spearthrower which was made from an extremely light wood and is said to have been used only by experienced men [...] [the] extremely fine incised decoration present on the handle [...] extends on to the shaft. Basedow (1907) reported that this type of decoration (consisting of rows of small holes) was applied with a fishbone, or small stick" (ibid.).