iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Actually, Kyle was right, I found an earlier pic of the turtle carving and it had front flippers! Good one Kyle! See pic attached.

However, the story gets more intriguing... apparently, the front flippers were made and attached at a later date, the purpose of which can only be speculated but it is likely that it was done to make it more attractive (for selling?). The same has been said of the white dot decoration. Compare the attached pic below with the first pic I uploaded. The first pic is how the turtle is supposed to look like, and how it is now.

Ambros, the wire you can see on the belly is merely a custom-made stand to display the carving.

Guan

I think the addition of the flippers make it a much more aesthetically pleasing piece. Interesting back story!

Ok, take a deep breath!

The turtle figure has been estimated to be worth AUD$60,000-80,000.

And no, it is not mine. I had an opportunity to purchase it earlier in the year through auction, where it had a ridiculous estimate of something like AUD$100. I was prepared to pay many times that, but it seems there were others who also liked it and it sold for a hammer price of AUD$4800.

But now it has re-appeared in a high end auction house with an estimate of AUD$60,000-80,000! It is one of those 'if only' moments...

Guan

So my estimate was closest actually? :)
lol, just joking..

Imagine what it would fetch (assuming of course that this estimate is accurate) if the piece was complete with the flippers!

Well... 60.000/80.000AU$ is only the price at which the last resseller is selling it.
It doesn't mean that it really is "worth" that price.
Finally, it's only "worth" the price it has been bought on its last transaction, that is to say : 4.800AU$.
If it is now sold at 60.000AU$ we could only say it is worth that price only when someone will be willing to put that price in the tortoise.
Before that, it's only a vertiginous price given to the object by an unscrupulous money-maker.
Anyway, I always find the money speculations around Arts (and spiritual Arts) quite disgusting... :-(((

Hi Francis,

You are right about the worth of something. The figure I indicated is an estimate of the value provided by a high end auction house. They do valuations for insurance purposes etc. and with several authority figures who know art and the art market pretty well, the estimate is as close to 'value' or 'worth' as one can get.

Guan

I'll join in late and add my two cents worth. My opinions always seem to create a stir so here's what I think. The markets for any particular style of artwork, or type of antique, or collectible can and do fluctuate. I think the market for Aboriginal artwork has peaked - I mean $60 to 80K for the turtle carving? - and at some point prices will begin to fall. The people who are paying these exorbitant prices today may be very disappointed a decade from now when they cannot get even a half or a third of their investment back when they try to resell their purchase. I have to agree with Ahaw, though, I find it disgusting when people try to turn culture into a commodity! I always thought the beauty of indigenous cultures was their ability to exist independently from money and materialism.