Within Australia
All orders ship freewithin Australia
Rest of the World
Orders over A$300
ship free worldwide
C1785
Reception Du Capitaine Cook A Hapaee
Artist:
Rare engraving from the French edition of Cook’s voyages. Reception of Captain Cook at Hapaee (Lifuka), one of the islands of the Ha’apai group of Tonga. Cook had arrived on the island 17 July 1777 and stayed until the 29th. … Read Full Description
$A 125
Free Shipping
See Shipping page for Terms & Conditions
Details
Full Title:
Reception Du Capitaine Cook A Hapaee
Date:
C1785
Artist:
Condition:
In good condition, with centre fold as issued.
Technique:
Copper engraving.
Image Size:
380mm
x 240mm
Paper Size:
400mm
x 270mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1785
Description:
Rare engraving from the French edition of Cook’s voyages.
Reception of Captain Cook at Hapaee (Lifuka), one of the islands of the
Ha’apai group of Tonga. Cook had arrived on the island 17 July 1777 and
stayed until the 29th.
Captain Cook seated with the chiefs,
watching two pairs of combatants one pair boxing, the other pair
fighting with clubs, within a large circle of spectators. Some men of
Cook’s company are on the left on the fringe of the crowd.
‘Presently
after a number of men entered the Circle or Area before us, armed with
Clubs made of the green branches of the Cocoanut tree, these paraded
about for a few minutes and then retired the one half to one side and
the other half to the other, and seated themselves before the
spectators: but soon after went to single Combat, one or two steping
forward from the one side and chalenging those on the other which was
done more by actions than words; if the Challenge was expected, which
was generally the case, each put himself in a proper attitude and began
to engage and continued till one or the other gave out or their weapons
were broke….there were Wristling and Boxing matches; the first were
performed in the same m[an]ner as at Otahiete, and the second very
little different from the method practiced in England.” Cook Journals III, i, 107)
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.
