Australian Aboriginal 'x-ray' bark painting of a pair of kangaroos
09 February 2019
Description
bark and pigments, c. 17 1/2" w. x c. 28" h., mounted on wood panel
Provenance
ex. coll. Harry Bober (my father, a noted art historian), 1988. Aquired by him in New York City in the 1950's
Acquired from
Inherited
Inherited
For sale
Yes
Yes
Answered within
2 days
By Klaus
Feb 12, 07:30 UTC
Thank you for submitting your item for appraisal. Just as you suggested, this appears to be an aboriginal work of art by an anonymous mid century artist. Without a specific provenance down to the artist it is impossible to narrow the search. The estimate is based on similar artefacts by lesser known artists sold at auction.
Klaus
Feb 14, 22:14 UTC
I would doubt you will find any signatures. The idea of "signing" is a very western concept. And if it is from the 1950s I would be surprised to see a signature.
Thank you Klaus, and (I know this is speculation, I will try to inspect the back of the panel for a hand print or other), if it was by a known artist how would that change the valuation?