Beschreibung:

THE GALBRAITH BOOMERANG EARLY TRANSITIONAL QUEENSLAND BOOMERANG circa 1901-1904, Normanton region carved hardwood incised on the front surface with figurative images including a train and floral motif, lettering and traditional designs, shiny patina overall 63cm (length) PROVENANCE Private collection, UK OTHER NOTES Over the last few decades a rare group of indigenous cross-cultural objects have sporadically come to light and each time they raise more questions than are answered. A scarcity of information surrounds them and the fact that most artists are seldom identifiable lends the objects an intrigue, and on a both scholarly and collector level, a last frontier quality. It's only in recent times that academics and the dedicated few have begun to map this fairly uncharted, but important cultural territory. Hence, the re-emergence of this group of repatriated Queensland artifacts offer valuable and curious insights into a little known chapter of Australian history and are sure to contribute to the growing body of cross-cultural knowledge, as well as presenting an uncommon opportunity for collectors. Described in various quarters as contact or transitional art, decorated artifacts emerged towards the end of the 19th century and by mid century had shifted from carved surfaces to pokerwork and paint. In essence, contact art bears witness to Aborigines' experience of change, of dislocation from traditional lands, and also their interest and willingness to adapt to facets of European life.[1] The early contact artifacts (pre 1920) ranging from woomeras, coolamons, clubs to boomerangs, incised with stone scrapers and later metal tools, display a combination of both figurative and geometric elements (the latter carried encoded knowledge but were inserted discretely to the object's borders and tips). In subsequent periods the geometric designs began to dissipate and native animal imagery dominated. In contrast, early contact figurative imagery frequently depicted new found features of European life including missionaries, police, stockmen, often in combination with native animals or scenes from traditional indigenous life. Contact art has been traced to settlements and missions as far afield as La Perouse, NSW, Flinders Ranges, S.A. and Barambah, now called Cherbourg, in SE Queensland. The Barambah artifacts are some of the earliest found and may have begun as personal recordings for an individual or their community, however by 1911 they were consciously created for an external market: "Barambah inmates were involved in exhibitions and performances that were specifically designed to promote the settlement. In 1911, the Chief Protectors' Department organised a display of the various facets of its work. Each settlement and mission, including Barambah, was asked to contribute items of work by its inmates. Items displayed ranged from samples of schoolwork to traditionally made implements and weapons." [2] The group of early 20th century Queensland artifacts comprised of two decorated boomerangs and a club, have emerged from a private collector in the United Kingdom, however their provenance while long held is, unsurprisingly, unknown. Nonetheless, the reclaimed nature of the trio is certain, evident from the natural ridges found on one boomerang, to the scratched grip markings on the club, reinforcing their dating to an early period when decoration was applied to pre-existing objects, rather than later times when boomerangs were carved from scratch and decorated for a ready commercial market. Similarly, the artifact group all bear decorative attributes displayed in Barambah carvings, but after research, one of the boomerangs, while retaining some shared characteristics, overwhelmingly and tantalisingly proffers a different point of origin. Emblazoned with the word 'Galbraith' on its left half side, a flower near the centre and a charming multi carriage train on its right, the highly detailed and finely executed boomerang is rich with clu