Waidjung 1916-deceased BARU, THE CROCODILE

Painted in North East Arnhem Land in 1948
Collected at Yirrkala on the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land
Charles P. Mountford
Harold L. Sheard, South Australia; thence by descent

The bark is housed in what appears to be the original period frame and is behind glass and mounted onto a wood backing board with a series of wire loops in the upper, lower, and centre side margins. The bark has a number of cracks and hairline fractures in its surface and has suffered significant areas of pigment loss, most notably in the white earth pigment. The bark appears to have had no repairs or restoration.
"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 related images by Yolngu artists and discussion of the subject matter, see C. P. Mountford, Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land, volume 1: Art, Myth and Symbolism, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1956, pp.366-370.

Baru created the original Fire during an initiation ceremony in ancestral times. The Fire spread out to sea, and across the land. The setting in this painting is Biranybirany on the eastern coast of Arnhem Land, on Caledon Bay. Here, freshwater meets salt – a multivalent and powerful symbol in Yolngu cosmology, often associated with fertility. The painting depicts Baru, the larger of the two crocodiles, and a female, approaching eachother through the spike rushes in the swamp at Biranybirany. The linked diamonds are the Gumatj clan pattern representing fire. The composition is a template for depictions of similar episodes at related locations; for examples at Blue Mud Bay, south of Biranybirany, painted in 1967 by Waidjung, see H.M. Groger-Wurm, Australian Aboriginal Bark Paintings and their Mythological Interpretation: Vol.1, Eastern Arnhem Land, Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, 1973, pp.82-85, pls.111 and 112; and another by Munggurrawuy Yunupingu, in R.M. and C.H. Berndt, The Art of Arnhem Land: The Art Gallery of Western Australia, December 1957-January 1958, Perth: Festival of Perth Committee, 1957, p.10.