POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

'Ricketty Dick' statuette by Julius Hogarth

Object No. 96/22/1

This finely modelled statuette, made about 1855, is one of two earliest known examples of metal sculpture known to have been made in Australia. It was inspired by Warrah Warrah, an Aboriginal man who was also known as Ricketty Dick. The statuette was made by Julius Hogarth (1822-1879) of Hogarth Erichsen & Co, a leading firm of jewellers and silversmiths which operated in Sydney between 1854 and 1861. The 'Ricketty Dick' statuette was displayed in the 1855 Paris Universal Exhibition, alongside another statuette of similar design in gold, and two gold statuettes of gold diggers . Hogarth was awarded a bronze medal for his entry. Julius Hogarth (Hougaard) was born in Copenhagen, Kingdom of Denmark, in 1822. Hogarth arrived in Australia in 1852 on the John Cesar Gedeffroy and by 1854 was in partnership with Conrad Erichsen at 255 George Street in Sydney. Hogarth, Erichsen & Co manufactured gold jewellery, gold and silver sculptures, trophies and presentation pieces, including silver mounted emu eggs, for both local and overseas market. Both Hogarth and Erichsen exhibited in the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1855 and Hogarth showed sculptural works at the London International Exhibition of 1862. The firm, which closed in 1861, was also known for a number of threepenny tokens produced from 1858 to 1860. In 1855, they were granted official appointment to Sir William Denison, Governor of New South Wales. Hogarth set up his own shop in 1861 at 99 Hunter Street, them moved to 21 Hunter Street and in 1865 ran his business from 6 Hunter Street. He worked in Melbourne from 1866 to 1878 returning to Sydney where he had a shop in Newtown. Hogarth died on 5 March 1879 in Chippendale, Sydney. At the time the Danish silversmith arrived in Sydney in 1852, there were only a few Aboriginal people living in the area. With Aboriginal lands swallowed up by Sydney and its environs, they remained exiles in the streets, mostly surviving by begging. Ricketty Dick was a well known and liked local character who belonged to the Broken Bay tribe. He was portrayed in 1844 by Charles Rodius and by other colonial artists. His real name was Warrah Warrah which was later changed to William Warral. His popular name of Ricketty Dick related to arthritis, or some other disease of the lower limbs, which finally crippled him. He set up a permanent camp on a dry patch of land at the Rose Bay swamps as illustrated by John Hardwick in his 1853 watercolour titled 'The mendicant blackfellow of Rose Bay', now in the Mitchell Library, Sydney. A similar portrait, 'Ricketty Dick, an Australian Aborigine', was published in the Illustrated Sydney News (18/2/1854; p.154) It was accompanied by the following note: 'Poor old Dick, the last of his tribe, will be recognised by the accompanying sketch. For many years past Dick had been a denizen of Sydney, and of late he had his 'Gunyah' at Rose Bay where the old man may be daily seen by the visitors to South Head. He is quite a cripple from paralysis and many a sixpence falls to his lot from the pleasure seekers and wayfarers on the road'. Ricketty Dick's death in 1863 was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald (16/6/1863, p 4) in an article which also revealed that he had been provided with food by a local resident as requested, and paid for, by William Charles Wentworth, an explorer and politician and a leading figure of early colonial New South Wales. This statuette represents Ricketty Dick as he would have looked as a young hunter. It is believed to have been based on an oil painting 'Aborigine with spear' attributed to Sydney artist Thomas Tyrwhitt Balcombe (1810-1861). Eva Czernis-Ryl Curator, Decorative Arts and Design For more information about this statuette and other works related to Ricketty Dick see: E. Czernis-Ryl 'Early Australian silver statuette: a story of Julius Hogarth and Ricketty Dick', The Australian Antiques & Fine Art Dealer's Fair catalogue, Sydney 1996, pp.6-10.

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Summary

Object Statement

Statuette, 'Ricketty Dick', silver / gold / ebonised wood (base), Julius Hogarth, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, c. 1855

Physical Description

Small figure of a young bearded Aboriginal man, cast and hand modelled in silver (a dull grey from patination and oxidisation). Depicted as a hunter, walking on stylised ground right leg bent and extended slightly forward, left leg bent behind. Left arm bent with hand raised to brow shielding eyes, right arm extended backwards and down, hand holding a gold boomerang. Figure naked except for a fluid sheath of polished silver (representing fur cloak) which drapes down the figure's back and over left arm and across groin. Feet attached to small spherical silver base, which is in turn attached to short stepped cylindrical pedestal of ebonised wood.

DIMENSIONS

Height

150 mm

Diameter

75 mm

PRODUCTION

Notes

Design attributed to Julius Hogarth of Hogarth, Erichsen & Co (1854-61). Statuette is an idealised representation of an aboriginal man called Warrah Warrah, also known as 'Rickety Dick' .

HISTORY

Notes

This object was purchased in England by the vendor shortly before it was acquired by the Museum. No previous ownership is known.

SOURCE

Credit Line

Purchased 1996

Acquisition Date

10 January 1996

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