BUTCHER JOE NANGAN

Collected by anthropologist Mr Peter Dalton before 1963
Private collection, acquired from Mr Dalton's daughter

 

Overall the books are in good condition fconsistent with their age and use Book 1: (upper image) There is some staining, water damage and minor scuff marks to some of the pages. Book 2: (lower image) There is very minor scuff marke and the occasional traces of foxing on some pages. Book 3: (unillustrated) There are water stains on the first two pages and minor stains to the subsequent pages. There is a small tear to the last page.
"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. The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 2000, p.658, "Butcher Joe Nangan recorded and transmitted a vast body of cultural knowledge. He was acutely aware of the increasingly rapid loss of historical and other cultural information in the late twentieth century... He... drew from a range of historical events in which elements of the supernatural and spirit worlds were thought to have entered the lives of known mortals. Rai (spirit beings), guardians of the plants and animals, bearers of the spirits of children, were also a favourite topic. The Aboriginal community believed that Nangan interacted with these little, somewhat mischievous, yet helpful, beings, and that they were the source of spiritual knowledge and power" (ibid)

These sketchbooks contain a broad variety of imagery, including images of ceremony, Dreamtime narratives, Rai (spirit beings), and depictions of sacred boards, utilitarian weapons and objects