Executed at Paru, Melville Island, in 1959
Henri-Maurice Berney, Switzerland (the Anglo-Swiss Trans-Australia Expedition, 1959)
Private Collection, Western Australia
Mossgreen Auctions, Australian Indigenous & Oceanic Art, Melbourne, 22 July 2014, lot 31
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Female figure: Please note, the pigments are generally stable overall, though there are many/numerous areas of pigment rubbing/minor loss throughout the surface and there are some small areas where the pigment is flaking or unstable. We would recommend the pigment be stabilised by a conservator. There are four small drill holes in the top of the head, possibly where feather holes were once attached. There is a large crack to the proper right side of the head from the top of the head extending to underneath the chin. There is also a deep crack down the centre of the figure. Neither cracks have been restored.There is also very minor insect damage to the base. Male figure: there is a crack stretching down the centre of the body which has been restored and infilled. The pigment is generally in good and stable condition. There are minor areas of pigment loss/rubbing on the figure. There are some shiny areas on the figure/ pigment, on the face, arms and on the restored crack which is probably a stabilising material. There is an area approximately 4cm by 2.5 cm of insect damage and old restoration on the rear centre of the base. There is another crack to the top of the buttocks which has been restored and infilled, and a crack approximately 6cm long to the front of the neck. Both figures stand on carved bases.
"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."

The two figures represent Purukapali, the god-king who created the first Pukumani ceremony for his dead son (Jinaini) and his goddess wife Bima, who caused the death of their son by leaving him in the hot sun while she was committing adultery with Purukapali’s younger brother, Tapara. Prior to this event, all Tiwi were immortal. Upon discovery of his dead child, Purukapali fought with his brother Tapara and wounded him severely. Tapara then rose into the sky and became the Moon-Man (scars can still be seen on his face). In his rage, Purukapali turned Bima into a curlew, who still roams the forests at night wailing with remorse for the troubles she brought into the world. Purukapali carried his dead child into the sea to drown himself, where, holding the child above his head, he declared that henceforth, all beings would, like his child, eventually die.  

Henri-Maurice Berney is a renowned photographer, journalist and film producer who has travelled to more than 180 countries. In 1959, Victor Cranley and Berney lead a team of six assistants (along with 3 tons of photographic and sound equipment) to Australia. This team came to be known as the Anglo-Swiss trans-Australia Expedition. The result of Bernley's explorations were published in 1965 with contributions by famous Australians such as George Munster, Mark Oliphant and Geoffrey Blainey in a book titled 27,000 Miles through Australia.

 

'Cardo Kerinauia, perhaps the most famous of Tiwi artists, is credited with the introduction of carving human figures. It is believed that he first carved a figure in the 1920s after seeing other examples in Darwin. Cardo was, for a period, employed on the coastal vessels Geranium and Moresby and was one of the best travelled Tiwi of his time. In 1954, accompanied by co-performers Aloysius Tipulmeeingi and Allie Miller Uraputawai Mungatopi, he travelled to Toowoomba to dance before Queen Elizabeth II on her triumphant first tour of Australia. Cardo may have carved for Charles Mountford in 1954, although he is not identified in the photographs Mountford used to illustrate his book, which show five men cutting and painting tutini.

 

One dancer, a 'fully initiated' man who may have been Cardo or Allie Miller, describes dancing for the Queen: 'The Government plane flew me to Brisbane to see the Queen. It flew through the clouds. I went into the pilot's room in the front of the plane and the wireless told them Brisbane was only seven miles away.', Jennifer Isaacs, Tiwi: Art/History/Culture, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2013, p.132