A COLLECTION OF FIVE COILED BASKETS

of woven pandanus

Charles P. Mountford
Harold L. Sheard, South Australia; thence by descent

One basket has a detached handle on one side. There is visible evidence of a previous repair with a thin wire, though this has since come apart. Despite the detached handle, this basket and the remaining four are in good and stable condition overall with only very minor damage to some parts of the pandanus fibre which is visible in the catalogue photograph. There are no signs of repair or restoration to the remaining four.
"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."

These five are baskets are likely to have been collected at Milingimbi mission during the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land in 1948. Although the expedition did not have a base camp at Milingimbi, anthropologists Frederick McCarthy from Australia and Frank Setzler from America went to the island of Milingimbi primarily to conduct archaeological  fieldwork. While there they also collected baskets and a number of other artefacts. According to Australian Indigenous fibre specialist Louise Hamby, there are no coiled baskets from the expedition in Australian public institutions, however there is a similar coiled basket  to the ones shown in the National Museum of Natural History, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.