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C1784
An Inland View, in Atooi.
Artist:
Rare c.18th engraving from the official British Admiralty sanctioned edition of the accounts of Cook’s third and final voyage. Captain Cook arrived at Atooi (Kauai) on 19th January 1778 and stayed until 23rd January. In this image, in the village … Read Full Description
$A 550
S/N: CK03E-2205052-PI-HAW–216058
(C015)
Categories: Captain Cook, Hawaiian Islands (Sandwich Islands)
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Details
Full Title:
An Inland View, in Atooi.
Date:
C1784
Artist:
Condition:
One small spot to lower sheet edge, otherwise in good condition.
Technique:
Copper engraving.
Image Size:
515mm
x 265mm
Paper Size:
551mm
x 400mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1784
Description:
Rare c.18th engraving from the official British Admiralty sanctioned edition of the accounts of Cook’s third and final voyage.
Captain Cook arrived at Atooi (Kauai) on 19th January 1778 and stayed until 23rd January.
In this image, in the village of Waimea, two natives are shown rolling a wooden barrel filled with water toward the beach, while a crewman, centre foreground, rolls an empty barrel toward the inland pond. Several other crewmen, muskets in hand and swords at their side, are trading with the natives. ‘We no sooner landed than a trade was set on foot for hogs and potatoes, which the people gave us in exchange for nails and pieces of iron formed into something like chisels. We met with no obstructions in watering, on the contrary the Natives assisted our people to roll the casks to and from the pond. In general, this idyllic scene represents an image of serenity and prosperity consistent with Cook’s observations about the native lifestyle that he found in his travels about the islands. Cook’s Journals – January 21, 1778
From Cook & King, A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean Undertaken by the Command of His Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere….
References:
Joppien, R. & Smith, B. The Art of Captain Cook's Voyages; Vol. I, II & III. Melbourne 1985-1987 :: 3.167A, ill.p.415.
Beddie, M. Bibliography of Captain James Cook, RN,FRS, Circumnavigator. Sydney 1970:: 1743-35, p.341.
Collections:
British Museum London: Museum number Oc2006,Prt.70
National Maritime Museum Greenwich: Object ID PAI4160
National Library Australia: Bib ID 1407397
National Gallery Australia: Accession Number: 2013.4129.9.114
Joppien, R. & Smith, B. The Art of Captain Cook's Voyages; Vol. I, II & III. Melbourne 1985-1987 :: 3.167A, ill.p.415.
Beddie, M. Bibliography of Captain James Cook, RN,FRS, Circumnavigator. Sydney 1970:: 1743-35, p.341.
Collections:
British Museum London: Museum number Oc2006,Prt.70
National Maritime Museum Greenwich: Object ID PAI4160
National Library Australia: Bib ID 1407397
National Gallery Australia: Accession Number: 2013.4129.9.114
John Webber (1752 - 1793)
Born in London in 1752, the son of a Swiss sculptor. He received his early artistic training in London before continuing his studies in Paris under Jean-Georges Wille, where he developed the precise draughtsmanship that later distinguished his work. By the early 1770s he had returned to Britain and established himself as a promising young artist. In 1776 Webber was appointed official artist to James Cook's 3rd and final voyage of exploration. The expedition, undertaken in HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery, sought a northern passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. During the voyage, which lasted until 1780, Webber produced an extensive visual record of the regions visited, including the Pacific Islands, the northwest coast of North America, and parts of eastern Asia. His drawings documented landscapes, settlements, flora, fauna, and the inhabitants encountered by the expedition, particularly in places such as Tahiti, Hawai‘i, and Nootka Sound. Webber was present during the final stages of the voyage, including the events surrounding Cook’s death at Kealakekua Bay in 1779. His work from this period includes some of the earliest European visual representations of Hawaiian society. Throughout the expedition he worked under demanding conditions, often producing rapid sketches in the field which were later refined into finished compositions. Following his return to Britain, Webber prepared many of his drawings for engraving for the official account of the voyage, A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, published in 1784. These images played a central role in shaping European understanding of the Pacific and its peoples. His work combined empirical observation with the compositional conventions of late eighteenth-century European art, and it contributed to the visual culture of exploration. Webber exhibited at the Royal Academy in London and continued to produce paintings and drawings based on his travels, as well as other subjects. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1785, reflecting his professional standing. His later work included both exhibition pieces and commissioned works, though he remained best known for his Pacific imagery. John Webber died in London in 1793 at the age of forty-one. His surviving drawings and paintings are held in major collections, including the British Museum and other institutions, and they remain an important visual record of Cook’s Third Voyage.
