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C1784
Cimetiere D’Atooi
Artist:
Captain Cook, accompanied by Webber, proceeded inland from their beach side anchorage to Waimea, on the south coast of Kauai (known then as Atooi). Their intention was to examine elevated objects visible from the ship. It proved to be a … Read Full Description
$A 225
S/N: CK03PF-PI-HAW-033–216060
(C015)
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Details
Full Title:
Cimetiere D’Atooi
Date:
C1784
Artist:
Condition:
In good condition, centre fold as issued.
Technique:
Hand coloured copper engraving.
Image Size:
385mm
x 245mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1784
Description:
Captain Cook, accompanied by Webber, proceeded inland from their beach side anchorage to Waimea, on the south coast of Kauai (known then as Atooi).
Their intention was to examine elevated objects visible from the ship. It proved to be a morai, or temple similar to ones they had seen in Tahiti and other South Pacific islands. This structure was nearly 20-feet high and covered in a thin, light-grey cloth, which likely had ceremonial significance. The temple rested on a platform and consisted of thousands of rough-edged lava rock piled in a tight, mortarless fashion. In the center is the spindly-legged oracle tower, where the priest (kahuna) might seek counsel or pray. Carved figures with tapa and leaf offerings are seen outside thatched huts topped with pili, the tall grass that grew throughout the lowlands. In his journal, Cook took particular note of several stone objects he had observed: About the middle of the Morai, there were three of these places in line. We were told three chiefs had been buried there, and before them was another that was oblong. This they called Tanga (taboo or kapu in Hawaiian) and gave us clearly to understand that three human sacrifices had been buried there, that is, one at the burial of each chief. Cook’s Journal – January 21, 1778
French edition of Cook’s Third Voyage account.
John Webber (1752 - 1793)
John Webber was an 18th century artist, best known for his work as the official artist on Captain James Cook's third and final voyage to the Pacific in 1776-1780. He was born in London, England in 1751 and was trained as an artist. Webber accompanied Cook on his voyage as the official artist, tasked with creating drawings and paintings of the places and people they encountered. He produced many illustrations and sketches that were used to make engravings for inclusion in the official account of the voyage, published after Cook's death. Webber was required to "give a more perfect idea thereof than can be formed by written description." Webber's illustrations and engravings of the Pacific islands and their inhabitants are considered some of the most accurate and detailed depictions of the region from that time. They provide an important record of the places and people encountered by Cook and his crew, and are valuable for understanding the culture and daily life of the people of the Pacific during the 18th century. He died in London in 1793, after having returned from the voyage, but his work continues to be recognised as an important historical record of the voyage and of the art of his time. Webber's oeuvre from the voyage was the most comprehensive record of sights in the Pacific region ever produced.
