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"Implements &cc of Duke of York Island, St George's Channel"

Artist: Raper, George
Created: [1791]
Dimensions: 32 x 49.3 cm
Reference: Raper Drawing - no. 30

 

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Drawing of various weapons, implements and musical instruments from Duke of York Island against a plain background and numbered 1-4, with a key given below the drawing. Above are two spears and a fishing spear, arranged horizontally one above the other. The spear at top appears to be made of bamboo with a darker coloured point, decorated towards the joint with black painted patterns. The next spear is black with a white pointed end and green, red, yellow and white feather ornaments towards the end of the shaft. The fishing spear also appears to be made of bamboo, with five prongs at the end. Below them is a set of pan pipes, made up of seven pieces of hollow wood or reed of decreasing length, bound with black string to the left and pink tape to the right, and decorated with black painted patterns on the longest two pieces. A sling is tied to the end of the pipes on the left. Along the bottom, to the left of the composition is a grey diamond-shaped paddle with a black and white handle, decorated with a pink diamond and black detail; at centre is a club, coloured pink with grey shading and black cross-hatched lines on the handle; and at right a fishing hook. The drawing is framed with a thick black ink line and a triple-banded border, the central band of which is coloured with a pink wash and contains panels at top and bottom with the title and key. The signature and date are located at lower right in the inner band. Most of the outer band appears to have been lost through the drawing having been cropped.

 

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