Two Mornington Island Ceremonial Headdresses
Lardil people, Mornington Island, Queensland, Australia, mid 20th c.
Braided human hair with mineral pigments wrapped around a eucalyptus bark framework topped by emu feathers (left)
Braided painted human hair with mineral pigments on eucalyptus bark with pigment and emu feathers (right)
21” h x 8.75” d (53.34 x 22.23 cm) (left); 10” h x 8.5” d (25.4 x 21.59 cm) (right)
Price: $2,400 (pair) or $1,200 each
Two fine midcentury Mornington Island ceremonial headdresses fashioned from braided human hair, eucalyptus bark, and emu feathers. For similar examples, see Cooper, Morphy, Mulvaney, and Peterson (1981: 167, figs. 263–5) and Fowler (1980: 21).
