Tiwi Female Figure

Artist Unknown

Tiwi Female Figure by Artist Unknown

Details

Artist
Artist Unknown
Title
Tiwi Female Figure
Year
c.1960
Medium
natural earth pigments on carved wood
Size
height: 59.5 cm

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Provenance

executed within the Tiwi Islands
Rudy Komon, Sydney
The Estate of Ruth Komon, Sydney
private collection, Melbourne
Important Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's, Melbourne, 24 July 2007, lot 77
private collection, Melbourne

Further Information

This early and rare Tiwi carving is unusual in its depiction of the female figure with small round breasts and tapering legs. It possibly depicts Bima (or Wai-ai), the ancestral wife of Purukuparti. The painted design, especially the dotting, are typically Tiwi and appear to be applied in the traditional manner with a wooden comb or pwata. A similarly decorated figure dating from 1965 by an unknown Tiwi artist is in the collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia.