Lot 414
Yirrkala, Northeast Arnhem Land, Australia. Ca. 1972. Bark painting of natural earth pigments of tan, brown hues, and white on eucalyptus bark. The Manggalili describe Milngiyawuy the Milky Way constellation as a river of stars in the sky which are manifestations of the spirits of deceased clan members. The constellations represent creator ancestors. Corner of wood rod frame needs to be resecured, else exc. cond. A handwritten document attached on the back explains the imagery: "MILKY WAY STORY: One day two fishermen went far out to sea in their bark canoe. They caught a big rock cod and were homeward bound when a big storm broke out and huge waves pounded their canoe and eventually broke it up. The two men tried to swim to shore but the distance was too great. One fisherman drowned (you can see his body in this painting) and the other though he reached the beach at Djarrakpi had swallowed too much water and was so exhausted that he also died. Today they can all be seen as stars in the Milky Way. The middle panel of this bark shows the Milky Way where the crocodile, the bark canoe and the rock cod can be seen today. Top right panel is Manggalili design for storm clouds that came up and helped swamp the canoe (bottom left) and its paddles (bottom right). Top left corner is hollow log used by Manggalili people to bury their dead. Above the paddles is a large sea creature that came about when Barama (ancestral hero) made a large fish trap basket which floated down into Manggalili country changing into the sea creature." Size: 49-1/8" x 15" (124.8 cm x 38. 1 cm)
Provenance: Ex. Mr. Ler de Vries, Ponte Vedra, Florida, acquired from the artist in the early 1970's. Exhibited: Sotheby's, May 2025.
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