Australia, Kimberley, Western Australia
1940s
Pearl shell, ochre, human hair string
Height: 6 inches (15.2 cm); Width: 4½ inches (11.4 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Sydney, Australia; collected in the early 1970s by an Aboriginal education officer at Yuendumu, where shells were stored in a 44-gallon drum following ceremony; 66 shells from the same group were subsequently acquired by the National Gallery of Australia
The engraved design on this shell is organized as a continuous maze pattern covering the full face, with deeply incised lines filled with ochre running in parallel courses that fold back on themselves in squared spirals. The composition is bold and tightly controlled, the line spacing consistent across the surface, and the contrast between the ochre-filled grooves and the shell's natural nacre ground gives the design strong visual presence. A substantial length of human hair string is preserved at the lower suspension point, hanging free rather than looped — a configuration seen on longka longka intended to be worn as well as displayed.
This shell belongs to the documented Yuendumu group collected in the early 1970s, from which 66 examples entered the National Gallery of Australia, establishing the significance of the cache as a whole. Within that group, this example stands out for the clarity and completeness of its maze engraving and the length of intact hair string it retains, both of which contribute to its value as a collectible and ethnographic object.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Australia, Kimberley, Western Australia
1940s
Pearl shell, ochre, human hair string
Height: 6 inches (15.2 cm); Width: 4½ inches (11.4 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Sydney, Australia; collected in the early 1970s by an Aboriginal education officer at Yuendumu, where shells were stored in a 44-gallon drum following ceremony; 66 shells from the same group were subsequently acquired by the National Gallery of Australia
The engraved design on this shell is organized as a continuous maze pattern covering the full face, with deeply incised lines filled with ochre running in parallel courses that fold back on themselves in squared spirals. The composition is bold and tightly controlled, the line spacing consistent across the surface, and the contrast between the ochre-filled grooves and the shell's natural nacre ground gives the design strong visual presence. A substantial length of human hair string is preserved at the lower suspension point, hanging free rather than looped — a configuration seen on longka longka intended to be worn as well as displayed.
This shell belongs to the documented Yuendumu group collected in the early 1970s, from which 66 examples entered the National Gallery of Australia, establishing the significance of the cache as a whole. Within that group, this example stands out for the clarity and completeness of its maze engraving and the length of intact hair string it retains, both of which contribute to its value as a collectible and ethnographic object.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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