Yirritja Designs Associated with Baru (The Crocodile), 1965

95.5 x 56 cm

Est. $5,000 – $7,000

Hammer $3,200

Provenance: Sothebys, Aboriginal and Tribal Art, Sydney, 9/11/1997. Lot No. 312. John Magers Collection, Sydney Private Collection, NSW Attribution endorsed by Will Stubbs - from Buku-Larrngay Mulka
Artwork story: Munggurrawuy Yunupingu was a master of ceremonial painting and an esteemed Gumatj lawman from Arnhem Land. In this work, he depicts Baru - the ancestral crocodile spirit of the Yirritja moiety - whose associations include fire, initiation, and transformation. The composition features rarrk cross-hatching, geometric infill, and emblematic clan motifs - each corresponding to specific sites and ceremonial functions. These are not simply decorative devices, but acts of cultural continuity. Yunupingu's cultural authority is embedded in every line - each one a cipher for sacred identity and ancestral memory.

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Sale 1 · Lot 15

Munggarawuy Yunupingu

c.1907 – 1979

95.5 x 56 cm

Est. $5,000 – $7,000

Hammer $3,200

Provenance: Sothebys, Aboriginal and Tribal Art, Sydney, 9/11/1997. Lot No. 312. John Magers Collection, Sydney Private Collection, NSW Attribution endorsed by Will Stubbs - from Buku-Larrngay Mulka
Artwork story: Munggurrawuy Yunupingu was a master of ceremonial painting and an esteemed Gumatj lawman from Arnhem Land. In this work, he depicts Baru - the ancestral crocodile spirit of the Yirritja moiety - whose associations include fire, initiation, and transformation. The composition features rarrk cross-hatching, geometric infill, and emblematic clan motifs - each corresponding to specific sites and ceremonial functions. These are not simply decorative devices, but acts of cultural continuity. Yunupingu's cultural authority is embedded in every line - each one a cipher for sacred identity and ancestral memory.