This painting titled "Coniston Massacre" by Peter Leo of Coniston Station is important beyond words. Peter was an elder and the keeper of the story for his community which meant he was responsible for telling the story of the horrible events which took place at his Homeland and he has done this in this painting because the Australian Aboriginals do not have a written language. The Coniston massacre, which took place in the region around the Coniston cattle station in the then Territory of Central Australia (now the Northern Territory) from 14 August to 18 October 1928, was the last known officially sanctioned massacre of Indigenous Australians and one of the last events of the Australian Frontier Wars. This massacre occurred after Brooks’ body (a local dingo hunter and returned WW1 soldier) was found with traditional weapons in a shallow grave. After his death, a reprisal party was formed and led on horseback by Mounted Constable George Murray. The party was made up of both civilians and police killing over 60 men women and children over three months in different local areas. This because a local by the name of Bullfrog who allegedly killed Brooks for supposedly interfering with his wife. The importance of the painting is in the number of rings formed from the center of the painting. They are small and run to the edge of the painting. You can see in the painting the women bringing food and the men meeting along with the dead spirits shown in white on male symbols. What can we do? This artist has now passed on.

This important painting is done in acrylics on Belgian Linen in very fine detail and truly one of a kind. Size is 104 x 121 cm or 41 x 48 inches. Is this the end of a very important story? It should be in a museum!

$146,000.00