Lot 24: CHARLIE NUMBULMOORE , TWO WANJINA c. 1970

Natural earth pigments on slate

34.5 by 16 cm

Acquired directly from the artist by two brothers jackarooing in the Northern Territory and Western Australia during the late 1960s
Private collection, New South Wales

Cf. For related paintings and a discussion on the artist see Crawford, I. M., The Art of the Wanjina, Aboriginal Cave Paintings in the Kimberley Western Australia, Oxford University Press, London, 1968; McCourt,T., Aboriginal Artefacts, Rigby Press, Australia, 1975; Ryan, J. and Kim Akerman (eds.), Images of Power, Aboriginal
Art from the Kimberley, National Gallery of Victoria, 1993.

Charlie?s Wanjina figures are generally readily identifiable. Those that are shown head and shoulders only are usually solid white (invariably derived from the mineral huntite) figures with details added in red, black and yellow. In the centre of the chest a solid, usually black but occasionally red, oval form said to depict the sternum/heart or a pearl shell pendant.

The almost circular heads are surrounded by a very regular, tripartite halo that represents a headdress (and hair/clouds/lightning).The large round, black eyes fringed with short, delicate lashes usually occupy a greater proportion of the head in Numblemoore?s Wanjinas than in those painted by other artists. Similarly Charlie?s Wanjinas have well defined, long narrow parallel-sided noses, flared at the very tip and with the nostrils invariably depicted.

Sotheby?s wishes to thank Kim Akerman for this catalogue entry.