Provenance
The Artist, created at Nguiu, Bathurst Island, Northern Territory
Bathurst Island Mission, Northern Territory
Stephen Kellner Gallery, Sydney
Private Collection, Sydney Important Aboriginal Art, Sotheby’s, Melbourne, 24 July 2007, lot 75
The Luczo Family Collection, United States of America
Aboriginal Art from the Luczo Family Collection USA, Deutscher and Hackett, Melbourne, 19 Oct 2016, lot 19
The Martin Rae Collection, New York, acquired from the above
Bathurst Island Mission, Northern Territory
Stephen Kellner Gallery, Sydney
Private Collection, Sydney Important Aboriginal Art, Sotheby’s, Melbourne, 24 July 2007, lot 75
The Luczo Family Collection, United States of America
Aboriginal Art from the Luczo Family Collection USA, Deutscher and Hackett, Melbourne, 19 Oct 2016, lot 19
The Martin Rae Collection, New York, acquired from the above
Description
Tipungwuti’s slender Tiwi figure features an elongated head divided by parallel lines running across its face. Designs on the body and face are consistent with contemporary designs worn by Tiwi ceremonial performers. Beneath sloping shoulders hang two finely articulated arms. A large white cross adorns the figure’s slight torso, emphasising its impressive physique.
Unlike the majority of carved Tiwi figures that merge into a solid wooden base, the legs of Tipungwuti’s figure are finely modelled in proportion to its corresponding arms.