HOBART NECKLACES – Ambiguous Authenticity - maireener shells

PROVENANCE INFORMATION: There are two necklaces here and they are both in a private collection – one is broken, one is complete. They were purchased from a jeweller’s shop in Criterion Street in Hobart about 20 years ago. They are possibly/probably two of the ‘wholesale’ Martin necklaces. The strings are at least 100 years old ... Source TMAG Hobart Pers Com ... The shells are almost certainly juvenile maireeners (Rainbow Kelp shells) Phasianotrochus irisodontes and typical of the shells coming to light in the USA and UK ...

NOTE: In the family of the owner of these necklaces there are two more necklaces where there is strong circumstantial evidence that in turn lends strong circumstantial provenance to those necklaces – not these – being of Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural production – NW Tasmania.

Dyed maireener Necklace

This necklace is entirely as described and no claims were made for that could not be substaniated. There are two obvious options for its origin. The first being the Hobart souvenir trader Bertie May who is known to have produced dyed necklaces such as this. He was active 1940s>>1960. The other option being a maker linked to the Martin family who started producing shell necklaces in Hobart in 1875 and were known tom be trading in 1927.

Earnest Mawle's Report of 1918 is a key reference that contextualises to some extent the 'industry' that produced Hobart Necklaces. Mawle's report refers to the dying of shells. There is beginning to be increasing evidence that Bertie May's production may be able to be distinguished from the dyed shell necklaces of producers/marketers like the Martins.

May's dyeing seems to be more intense in its colouration while necklaces that seem to be older than his are less intense and somewhat more subtle. There is no evidence that Tasmanian Aboriginal makers dyed their shells but it cannot be dismissed out of hand. On the balance of probability, this example seems to be older than May's production and more likely to be of non-Aboriginal production than Tasmanian Aboriginal.

Like all such necklaces there is quite a bit of ambiguity about this example.

Aboriginality Authentication - maireener shells and others

CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO GO TO SOURCE1. Gallery Cat # 4 AM 1881/04, Unknown, Shell Necklace – Ricies & oaties shells, threaded 1420mm Long

2. Gallery Cat #7 AM 2384/05, Unknown, Aboriginal Shell Necklace c. 1850 – Blue maireneer shells, threaded 1200mm Long ... From an estate. Possibly 150 years old.
3. Gallery Cat #6 AM 2398/05, Unknown Shell Necklace c. 1870 – Bung's rice shells, small oat shells & striped helmet shells, threaded on cotton 430mm Long
4. Gallery Cat # 3 AM 1879/04, Unknown, Shell Necklace – White oaties, threaded 1700mm Long
5. Gallery Cat # 5 AM 1883/04, Unknown, Shell Necklace – Oaties & ricies shells, threaded 860mm Long
6. Gallery Cat # 2 AM 470/02, Unknown, Shell Necklace – Alternating sets of creamy elongated shells and ricies 1200mm Long ... An older necklace. String segments showing.

LINK TO THE GALLERY & PAGE

Aboriginality Authentication: The 'Art Mob Gallery' on Hobart's waterfront in Tasmania is possibly unique in Australia in that it is a gallery dealing in antique and vintage Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklaces. Furthermore, they take great care in provenancing their necklaces. Somehow Art Mob seems to manage to have a number of old necklaces in stock and those above are in their current stock.

There will be antique dealers all over who will have 'Tasmanian' shell necklaces as do the various sellers on eBAY. In Tasmania, there has been an assumption, and for all intentions purposes it has seemed a relatively safe assumption, that shell necklaces that looked like the Tasmanian Aboriginal people's necklaces were as they appeared. It now seems that it is quite apparent that it may not always be so. That's especially so given the numbers that are turning up on eBAY.

There are a number of galleries in Tasmania, including Art Mob, selling shell necklaces made by contemporary makers in Tasmania's Aboriginal community. There is no doubt about their authenticity – and there should be none. Indeed, it is evident that the prices that their necklaces currently command is most likely behind the interest in ' Tasmanian shell necklaces' on eBAY – and quite likely it is why many sellers aim to invoke Aboriginal authenticity too.

In Tasmania there are two major museums and art galleries – the TMAG & the QVMAG – both of which have important collections of Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklaces. Also the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia hold significant Tasmania Aboriginal shell necklaces in their collections as do many other State capital city museums and art galleries.