MANI-LUKI WOMMATAKIMMI (HARRY CARPENTER)

Acquired at Milikapiti, Melville Island in 1962
Private collection, Adelaide

Both figures in very good overall condition with some very minor areas of pigment loss in places. On the male figure the right hand appears to have been broken and professionally reattached, on the female figure the hand has also been professioally reattached/restored. The female one has a small chip missing from the nose.
"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. O'Ferrall M, Keepers of the Secrets; Aboriginal Art from Arnhemland, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, 1990 , pp.30 - 31, for seven related sculptures by the artist; Ryan J, Land Marks, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2006, p.43 for six related sculptures; Le Brun Holmes, S., The Goddess and the Moon Man, The Sacred Art of the Tiwi Aborigines, Craftsman House, Sydney, pp.35-39 and 44-45 for several illustrations of related works by the artist now in the permanent collection of the Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory

A rare and fine pair of sculptures of the apical Tiwi ancestors, Purukuparli and his wife Bima, by one of the most renowned sculptors of the 1960s and 1970s. Mani Luki often portrayed this ancestral couple with the attachable beards and face painting designs worn in Pukumani burial ceremonies. The details of the jacket or vest-like garments the figures are wearing, and Purukuparli's shorts and Bima's skirt, are similar to those found in sculptures of Macassan sailors made by the artist. The ambiguity seems intentional, and is reinforced by the paddle held in the male ancestor's hand. While the paddle was a part of the Macassans equipment, in the Tiwi creation chronicles, Purukuparli's spirit is said to have paddled his way to the land of the dead in search of the spirit of his son Jinani.