- 39
Ali Miller Mungatopi circa 1910-1968 PUKUMANI CEREMONY-CROCODILE SKIN
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 AUD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Ali Miller Mungatopi
- PUKUMANI CEREMONY-CROCODILE SKIN
- bears artist's name, title, size, catalogue number 253, dated 1966 and a descriptive label on the reverse
- natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark
- 57.5 BY 41CM
Provenance
Private collection
Condition
The bark appears in good and stable condition with some minor fraying and hairline cracking at the edges.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
It is customary among the Tiwi for people to be known by a number of alternate names: Ali Miller Mungatopi was also known as Para Puta Wei and Oruputuwae. It is under the two latter names that three of his paintings are illustrated in M.A. O'Ferrall, Keepers of the Secrets: Aboriginal Art from Arnhem Land in the Collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth: Art Gallery of Western Australia, 1990, pp.36, 37, pl.35-37; pl.35, The Purukuparli Story – The Crocodile Dance, 1963, features the same theme as Crocodile skin. For another irregularly cut bark featuring a single motif, see Spider web – Pukumani body design, c.1964, by an unknown artist (ibid. p.37, pl.39). See also Sandra Le Brun Holmes, The Goddess and the Moon Man: The Sacred Art of the Tiwi Aborigines, Sydney: Craftsman House, 1995, for an extensive biography of the artist.