Summary

The Akubra hat is made from rabbit fur felt and is an iconic Australian design, it is a popular hat worn by men and women working in the pastoral industry. Darlene Nicholls decorated this Akubra in the 1990s, depicting symbols of Aboriginal Australia in red, yellow, white and black acrylic paint. The symbols include geometric circles, an X-ray snake and two witchetty grubs.
Some of the earliest examples of X-ray art have been dated from around 4000 years ago and can be seen in cave paintings in Arnhem Land. This artistic style depicts animals or human figures in which the skeletal structure is clearly defined and visible. The creation of X-ray art in many mediums continues today amongst Aboriginal artists. Subjects of X-ray art include sacred Ancestral Beings, and fish and animals, such as the witchetty grub, which were important food sources.

Physical Description

Wool felt tan coloured hat, with two sides turned up, there are two black and mottled brown bands of vinyl sewn to crown of hat. The hat has been finished with spray of feathers, small badge of kangaroo. The top 'bowl' is indented, and a portion of rim and crown are decorated in pen and paint with an image of two grubs, x-ray snake and geometric circles.

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