Two ceremonial spears ·  Australia - Tiwi Islands · ID: 3039380

Description

wood, ochre, pigment, broad flat tips, consisting of multiple split endings, painted with dots and lattice pattern in changing colours, old breakage repainted, abrasion of pigments;
these ceremonial spears were only made by senior men and were symbols of their wealth and status. Such spears took considerable time to make and were used for ceremonial purposes only.
Art of the Tiwi Aborigines took a special position ever since. In seclusion from the mainland they had been able to develop an independant art form.
The Tiwi Islands (Bathurst and Melville Island) are located 100 km north of Darwin. Tiwi art is markedly distinct from objects of nearby Arnhem Land. With its strong patterns and use of colour, Tiwi art is recognized as being very attractive and highly collectable.

Littérature comparée

Davies, S. M., Collected - 150 Years of Aboriginal Art and Artifacts at the Macleay Museum, Sydney 2002, p. 35, ill. 35