Dick Roughsey indigenous resident of Mornington Island important painter is widely recognized as being instrumental in the revival of Lardil (Mornington Island) cultural practices. Many of his paintings depict scenes from traditional life. They include headdresses and body painting designs for rituals that Roughsey himself was responsible for reviving. There is no evidence that Roughsey created this ceremoial headdress, ca. 1970s, although he is on record for making a similar one for the first wedding of a white couple on the remote island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, off the coast of Queensland. In his autobiography, Roughsey comments on how pleased he was to serve as the best man at said marriage, and how happy he was to see his friendship, across cultures, and others that followed, flourish. We acquired this headdress in a gallery in Adelaide, SA, when we lived there in the 1970s.
15” not including the feathers. #AGW087