By Terry Ingram, on 31-Aug-2015

Carved wooden statues from the Philippines were the star performers in the third session of the dispersal of the collection of the late Dr Peter Elliott in Sydney this week. The statues contributed nearly $200,000 to a further blow out in the total sold on the day of $982,490, bringing the total so far to $5.34 million IBP.

The statues were far removed from the eponymous Santos figures which were popular in the 1960s with Sydney decorators and which often first come to mind when Philippine sculpture is mentioned. The session, which was devoted to Oceanic tribal art, included a stash of bululs which are highly stylized representations of ancestors which were used to guard the rice crop by the Igorot peoples of northern Luzon.

Unbeknown to the doctor's family these stocky figures usually up to 50 cm in height are highly prized by collectors and but for the intervention of a Sydney dealership and Mossgreen, which has been auctioning the collection, might have fallen below the radar.

The 14 specimens comfortably topped their estimates surprisingly all to find ready buyers. Mr Chris Thorpe, the Sydney dealer who had brought the their importance and rarity to the attention of the family, was disappointed to miss out on them being only the underbidder on one them. California dealer Thomas Murray was believed to be after them and is thought to have triumphed on at least three.

Given that they vary greatly in quality and price the bululs were still priced to sell but international buyers were made aware of their presence in the sale. A pair of attached bululs only 20 cm high (Lot 380 ) but catalogued as circa 1800 surprised even the local repositories of knowledge when estimated at $3000 to $5000 they made $34,000 hammer, equal to $41,480 IBP, to an Internet bidder. A 58 cm squatting bulul (circa 1900) (Lot 383 ) was knocked down to Mossgreen associate Bill Evans for $22,000 ($26,840 with premium) against $6000 to $8000 estimate.

Dr Elliott was a pioneer collector of the figures buying from William Beyer of Manila, in the 1970s. This was the source of the specimens in the collection of Alan Schofel that were lent to the Musee Quai Branly in Paris for its exhibition The Philippines, Archipelago of Exchange in 2013. Dr Elliott was so passionate, thorough and visually astute that his own provenance was such that it invited appreciation where ownership of tribal art is concerned.

But as with the William Beyer provenance, yet another respected provenance which appeared regularly through the catalogue of the session was a welcomed bonus. Tasmanian Wayne Heathcote was a District Officer in Papua New Guinea after WWII as a young man. A Rock Hudson look-alike in the movie star's early days, Heathcote is said to have “landed on his feet” when he dived into the Sepik to rescue a Manhattan socialite who had fallen into the river.

Other New York socialites came and he found treasures for them. Heathcote went on to New York, and the world, as Arthur Daley might say, became his lobster. Heathcote still trades out of Miami and once briefly traded at one of the two terraces in Sydney's Gurner Street that side by side later became rival dealerships – Robin Gibson and the Barry Stern Galleries.

From Heathcote Dr Elliott purchased a 30 cm tall carved standing male figure from the Murik Lakes area of the Lower Sepik in the 1960s. Estimated at $20,000 to $30,000 it was keenly bid ultimately on two phones to $50,000 or $61,000 IBP.

One of the objects which Dr Elliot himself had collected in the field from tribal societies, and among the most notable was a splendid pig killing club which he secured from Chief Tofor, Fania Village in Vanuatu in 1972. The club more than doubled its top estimate of $7000 to make $15,000 hammer or $18,300 with premium. This time it was an internet bid which secured it.

The soft carving bears evidence of being done with a stone tool and there is some masterful carving enveloping the head.

Interest petered out a little in the Indonesia ceremonial swords, krises and dart quivers with Mossgreen finding it difficult to maintain the 100 per cent sold thread. His was a paradox given that tribal art was Dr Elliott’s premier passion. Even the second session, Australian indigenous art on Monday morning, produced more uniformly successful trades.

Only a dozen of the 46 lot offering of acrylics made $10,000 each although Dr Elliott had been one of the first into the Balgo painters. Two of the $10,000 plus paintings were by Emily Kngwarreye whose financial reputation faces a challenge with the forthcoming release of a large consignment from the Dutch collector Thomas Vroom through another auction house. Marked down to a bargain $2000 to $3000 and $4000 to $6000 estimates the paintings made $13,000 ($15,860 IBP) and $13,500 ($16,470 IBP) respectively. Mostly the reserves and bids met with  comfortable precision, which is rare for a contemporary Aboriginal art sale. Prospective vendors on this difficult market will hope it is not all due to the “Elliott effect.”

Sale Referenced:

About The Author

Terry Ingram inaugurated the Australian Financial Review's Saleroom section covering the Australian art auction market in 1969 and still contributes to its pages. He also writes for the Australian Art Sales Digest