Mid 20th century AD or earlier. A Wandjina head painted in red ochre on a 'white' background, on an irregular portable stone slab; reverse with inked handwritten text: 'Derby '63', referring to a town in north-western Australia, in the Kimberleys. See Crawford, I.M., The Art of the Wandjina. Aboriginal Cave Paintings in the Kimberley, Western Australia, London: Oxford University Press, 1968; see McCourt, T., Aboriginal Artefacts, Australia, Rigby, 1975; see Ryan, J. and Akerman, K.L. (eds.,) Images of Power. Aboriginal Art from the Kimberley, Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria, 1993. 4.8 kg, 40.5cm wide (16"). European collection; inked 'Derby '63' to verso, a town in the north west of Australia, in the Kimberleys. Property of a UK collector. Portable Wandjina are painted on transportable stones rather than on static rocks; it remains unknown whether the purpose of making portable examples was to conceal them, or whether they served as teaching aids in the perpetuation of tribal skills and mythology. The earliest Wandjina cave paintings date back around 4000 years. They depict sea and sky spirits which sculpted the natural environment. The paintings generally represent humanoid forms, characterised by prominent eyes and noses, no mouth, a large oval placed over the breast and a decorated circle around the perimeter of the head. Multiple individual heads were arranged into complex scenes. A major battle was waged between the Wandjina and the people of the area, after which the spirits were dispersed and absorbed into the surrounding rocks as paintings. They have a markedly different appearance to Aboriginal rock art outside the area, leading 19th century ethnographers and explorers like Sir George Grey to attribute them to the activities of an 'alien' people, such as the ancient Greeks. As the paint fades over time, it is believed to be the duty of those living near to the Wandjina heads to repaint them, ensuring their continued strength. [No Reserve]

Fine condition.