Iles Sandwich. Un Officer du Roi en Grand Costume.

Full length portrait of a Hawaiian royal guard wearing his ceremonial cloak and helmet made of red feathers from the ‘’ bird (Vestiaria coccinea) and yellow ones from the ‘’ (Moho nobilis). Yellow feathers were scarcer than red ones, so the most valuable garments were predominantly yellow. It has been estimated that the largest cloaks would be covered with nearly half a million small feathers. On his arm are the words ‘ Died May 8 1819’. Freycinet sighted Hawaii on 5 August 1819 and dropped anchor in Kealakekua Bay three days later. Kamehameha I, the first king of a unified Hawaii had just died and according to Hawaiian custom, his palace was burned to ashes and pigs were slaughtered for the funeral. As a result, Freycinet was initially unable to supply his ships with provisions. During the one month stay, the artists were able to provide a unique record of island life prior to European settlement. These engraved images are amongst the finest prints ever made during the period of the great voyages of exploration.