Footnotes

PROVENANCE
Alan John Atkinson (1892-1971), Hobart
thence by descent
Private collection, Tasmania

Born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1892, Alan John Atkinson went on to attend Hawkesbury Agricultural College near Richmond, New South Wales from 1911 -1913 before enlisting in the Australian Defence Force in 1915 and deploying to Gallipoli and the Western Front. It is likely that Atkinson acquired the shields at lots 57 and 58 during a study trip to Queensland as part of his agricultural course prior to his deployment.

These remarkable examples are of typical kidney form, shaped from the buttress root of the native fig trees of north-east Queensland and show signs of original use in battle. As described by Wally Caruana, "Such shields feature a boss in the centre to provide increased strength, and a raised handle on the reverse. They were usually decorated by two initiated men painting symmetrical clan designs from opposite ends of the shield. The bold designs in red and yellow ochres and white, outlined in black, appear abstract but in fact are conventional representations of totemic creatures and plants, such as spiders, crabs, species of fish and a variety of trees and shrubs. Human blood would be mixed with the ochres to impart the maker's spirit to the shield and to enhance its protective qualities." 1

1. Franchesca Cubillo and Wally Caruana, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art: collection highlights from the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 2010, p. 33