Painted at Milikapiti, Melville Island, circa 1967
Robert Steele Gallery, Adelaide
Private Collection
Sotheby's, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 24 July 2007, lot 78
Private Collection
Bonhams, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 28 May 2012, lot 159
Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above auction

Jennifer Isaacs, Tiwi: Art/History/Culture, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University Publishing Limited. 2012, p.17 (illus.) 

Natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark, unframed, housed in custom made aluminium bracing system. The paint on the central image is in very good and stable condition with a few minor areas of pigment loss. There are many areas of white pigment loss in the surrounding painting. There is pigment loss and minor fraying around the barks extremities, particularly at the top and bottom edges. There is a surface crack in the bark in the top right hand quadrant approximately 11cm long; a minor surface crack bottom left quadrant travelling up about 4 cm from the edge of the bark and another in the lower centre approximately 8cm long. There are shallow cracks in four areas to the reverse of the bark which have fine strips of linen attached to reinforce. The work bears the artist's name and biographical notes on a label taped to the reverse. There does not appear to be any visible evidence of repair or restoration.
"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."

Cf. For similar contemporaneous paintings by the artist in the collection of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, see Moon, Morning and Evening Stars, in Kathy Barnes, Kiripapurajuwi (Skills of Our Hands): Good Craftsman and Tiwi Art, Darwin, 1999, p.43 (illus.); and Sun Shining on a Coral Reef, c.1970, in R. Crumlin and A. Knight, Aboriginal Art and Spirituality, Melbourne: Dove Publications, 1995, p.23, pl.4 (illus.); the latter work also in Sandra Le Brun Holmes, The Goddess and the Moon Man: The Secret Art of the Tiwi Aborigines, Sydney: Craftsman House, 1995, p.118 (illus.), Full Moon Reflected in the Sea in the Country of Purukapali. For related paintings by the artist in the collection of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, see Moon, Morning and Evening Stars, c.1970, in Kathy Barnes, Kiripapurajuwi (Skills of Our Hands): Good Craftsman and Tiwi Art, Darwin, 1999, p.43 (illus.); and Sun Shining on a Coral Reef, c.1970, in Rosemary Crumlin and Anthony Knight, Aboriginal Art and Spirituality, Dove Publications, Melbourne, 1995, p.23, plate 4 (illus.); the latter work is also illustrated with the title Full Moon Reflected in the Sea in the Country of Purukapali (sic) in Sandra Le Brun Holmes, The Goddess and the Moon Man: The Secret Art of the Tiwi Aborigines, Craftsman House, Sydney,1995, p.118.

Tommy Mungatopi was one of the leading Tiwi artists of his generation in the post-World War II era, in both the ceremonial sphere and, from the 1960s on, in the broader domain of the world of art. Jennifer Isaacs who has written a comprehensive history of Tiwi art describes his standing thus: ‘Tommy Mungatopi was often commissioned to make Pukumani poles [grave posts] for funerals due to the perfection of his paintings and inventive patterning’.¹ The same attributes are found in his paintings on sheets of eucalyptus bark. Coral, c.1967, is an exceptional example. The alternating bands of dashes and dots, the latter applied in the traditional manner using a wooden comb or pwoja to lay down the paint in rows of dots, create a visually pulsating image of light reflecting off the coral reefs on the eastern side of Melville Island. This is a women’s site where women collect shellfish and is associated with fertility. It is also the site where, in the creation period, the apical ancestor of the Tiwi, Purukparli, carried the body of his infant son out to sea and drowned, bringing death to the Tiwi for the first time.

WC

1 Isaacs, J., Tiwi: Art/History/Culture, Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2012, p.142