Narritjin Maymuru (1922 - 1981)

GUWAK, MARNGU AND BIYAY AT DJARRAKPI, c.1960

natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark

40.0 x 9.0 cm (irregular)

Collected in 1961
James A. Davidson, Melbourne
Private collection, Melbourne
Deutscher and Hackett, Melbourne, 14 October 2009, lot 30
Private collection, New South Wales

Djert (The Sea Eagle), c.1960, natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark, 90.0 x 47.0 cm, sold by Sotheby’s, Melbourne, 28 June 1999, lot 46

This painting depicts totemic animals associated with the site of Djarrakpi in Manggalili country on Cape Shield . The central figure with leaves is a kanyawu native cashew tree with a guwak (Koel) at the top. You can see a marngu possum climbing up the tree to the right and a garanyirryirr cicada and at the bottom biyay goannas. The snake is a Yirritja moiety snake that swims along the coast off Djarrakpi