Rainforest Shield from North Queensland (1900)

A rainforest shield, Mareeba, North Queensland (circa 1900), natural earth pigments on carved figwood, 97 cm high. This shield is historically significant; it was collected by John Atherton (1837-1913), the grazier and overlander after whom the tablelands between the Palmer River and the headland of the Burdekin River in North Queensland are named. Atherton first ventured north into Queensland in the 1850s and settled at emerald End near Mareeba on the banks of the Barron River in 1877, where he remained till he died. It would have been in this latter period of his life that this shield was collected. Such shields are made by the rainforest peoples whose country today extends from Cairns up into the Atherton Tablelands. These shields were given to young initiates: they were usually made by two men working collaboratively. Typically the bold designs are symmetrical and outlined in black. While the red and yellow ochre forms against a ground of white appear to dominate the composition, there is an interplay between positive and negative forms which lend this shield a particular optical vibrancy. The designs of rainforest shields are usually derived from natural animal and plant forms, including the shapes of the seeds or leaves of particular trees. On occasion the designs may represent manufactured items such as dilly-bags and boomerangs. While the interpretation of the design on this shield has not been recorded, it is composed along strong vertical and horizontal lines, as opposed to the majority of rainforest shield designs which incorporate diagonal lines and triangular or diamond shapes. The design on this shield bears a strong similarity to one that entered the collection of the Australian Museum, Sydney, in 1905 (Accession number E013442) which originated from Tinaroo in the area of Mareeba where John Atherton settled. Wally Caruana. Provenance: John Atherton, North Queensland By descent Christopher Atherton, Queensland Aboriginal & Pacific Art Gallery, Sydney Private Collection, Sydney (1997)