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C1785
Un Homme De L’Entree De Nootka.
Artist:
Rare engraving from the French edition of Cook’s voyages. Cook anchored in Resolution (Ship) Cove (Bligh Island), Hope Bay (Nootka Sound) and made much needed repairs to the ships. Webber recorded the dwellings and peoples during the stay. It is … Read Full Description
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Details
Full Title:
Un Homme De L’Entree De Nootka.
Date:
C1785
Artist:
Condition:
In good condition.
Technique:
Copper engraving.
Image Size:
180mm
x 240mm
Paper Size:
202mm
x 270mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1785
Description:
Rare engraving from the French edition of Cook’s voyages.
Cook anchored in Resolution (Ship) Cove (Bligh Island), Hope Bay (Nootka
Sound) and made much needed repairs to the ships. Webber recorded the
dwellings and peoples during the stay. It is possible that the houses
depicted belong to the village of Yuquot, which Cook visited with Webber
on 22 April 1778.
‘After having made a general view of their
habitations, I sought for an inside, which might furnish me with
sufficient matter to convey a perfect idea of the mode in which these
people live. Such was soon found. While I was employed, a man approached
me wi th a large knife in his hand, seemingly displeased, when he
observed that my eyes were fixed on two representations of human
figures, which were placed at one end of the apartment, carved on
planks, of a gigantic proportion, and painted after their custom .
However, I took as little notice of him as possible, and proceeded to
prevent which, he soon provided himself with a mat, and placed it in
such a manner as to hinder my having any longer a sight of them. Being
pretty certain that I could have no futur e opportunity to finish my
drawing, and the object being too interesting to be omitted, I
considered that a little bribery might probably have some effect.
Accordingly, I made an offer of a button from my coat, which, being of
metal, I thought they would be pleased with. This, instantly, produced
the desired effect. For the mat was removed, and I was left at liberty
to proceed as before. Scarcely had I seated myself, and made a
beginning, when he returned and renewed his former practice, continuing
it til l I had parted with every single button and when he saw that he
had completely stripped me, I met with no farther obstruction’.
‘their
houses or dwellings are situated close to the shore. They consist in a
long range of buildings, some of which are one hundred and fifty feet in
length, twenty or thirty broad and seven or eight high from the floor
to the roof, which in them all is flat and covered with loose boards.
Cook Journals III, 1, 306 & 317.
This engraving is from, Cook & King, Troisieme voyage de Cook, ou journal d’une expédition faite dans la Mer Pacifique du Sud & du Nord, en 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779 & 1780. Traduit de l’anglois.Paris, Pissot & Laporte, 1782.
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.
