Catalogues132 of 257
Click to enlargeSale 2 · Lot 39
b. 1940
- Region
- Unknown / Unspecified
- Language group
- Burarra
Lorrkkon (Memorial Pole), 1996
195 x 18 cm
Est. $4,000 – $6,000
- Provenance
- Framed Darwin, Anne Phelan (Director), Cat No. 4701EAB Private Collection, Albany NY
- Artwork story
- Lorrkkon (also referred to as larrkkitj and dupun) are mortuary poles used in Western and Central Arnhem Land to house the bones of the deceased after secondary burial. Cut from a hollowed eucalyptus trunk, the pole is painted with clan designs and rarrk crosshatching that relate to the deceased’s country and ceremony. This example shows finely controlled white, yellow and red ochres used to depict totemic birds and plant life, in a restrained, ceremonial palette that underscores the work’s purpose within mourning rites and memorial performance.