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Lot #86 - Phyllis Thomas

  • Auction House:
    Deutscher and Hackett
  • Sale Name:
    The Laverty Collection Part III
  • Sale Date:
    05 Apr 2017 ~ 7pm
  • Lot #:
    86
  • Lot Description:
    Phyllis Thomas
    (born c.1935)
    Garnkeny – Moon Dreaming At Mindi-Mindin On The Ord River, 1999
    earth pigments and synthetic binder on linen
    120.0 x 120.0 cm
    signed verso with artist’s initials and bears inscription: Jirrawun Arts cat. PT 999.34
  • Provenance:
    Jirrawun Arts, Kununurra; The Collection of Colin and Elizabeth Laverty, Sydney, acquired from the above in September 1999
  • Notes:
    This painting is sold with accompanying Jirrawun Arts documentation: ‘This painting shows a place called Mindi-Mindin on a part of the bed of the Ord River to the south east of Turkey Creek. It is near Island Yard in the artist’s country. Garnkeny the moon was a man there in dreamtime. He was supposed to marry a woman of Nyawana skin. When he was asked who he wanted he said no to all except a beautiful woman who was the right skin to be his mother-in-law. When they said “No! You can’t have her. She is a mother-in-law for you” he became upset and sulked. He said “You will all die forever. I will die and come back, die and come back.” The woman became the black headed python. The moon was swimming in the water. When he dived under people said all kind of obscene things about him. When he popped out again they said “Oh! We just said you were good looking.” The holes where he popped in and out of the water can still be seen today as holes in the flat rock of the river bed. They are represented by the four circles in this picture. In the middle of the picture you can see the marks left in the rocks in the riverbed by the moon’s knees and the back of a woman when they made love. All rivers in the Kimberley dry up to a string of water holes in the dry season. There are many signs of the ngarranggarni, the creation time often called ‘dreamtime’, visible in the river beds. The artist’s father used to work as a stock man. He died in this area in a terrible accident when he and his horse became tangled up in some hidden fencing wire.’
  • Estimate:
    A$3,000 - 4,000
  • Realised Price:
    *****

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  • Category:
    Art

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.



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