Attributed to Paddy Compass Namatbara

Lance Bennett, acquired from the artist at Minjilang (Croker Island), 1966

The Thomas Vroom Collection, The Netherlands

Sotheby's, London, Aboriginal Art - Including Selected Works from the Thomas Vroom Collection, June 10, 2015, lot 30

Private Collection

This painting was documented by Lance Bennett as being by Yirawala, and it is possible that it was sold to him by this artist. However, it has been attributed to Namatbara, who painted in the company of both Yirawala and Midjau Midjau at Minjilang in the mid 1960s. Lance Bennett's accompanying documentation reads in part, "this work depicts, two djid'ngug spirits fighting over a woman spirit. He described a djid'ngug as a long-limbed spirit which lives in caves in the rock country. It has long thin arms and long weak double-jointed legs. During the wet season the djid'ngug does not venture out its cave, fearing that its legs will become tangled in the long grass and dense growth."

Image Credits

Midjau Midjau, Lance Bennett and Namatbara making recordings at Minjilang, 1966 © Estate of Lance Bennett