Mohi, a protege of Sir George Grey's at Kawau

item details

NameMohi, a protege of Sir George Grey's at Kawau

ProductionLouis John Steele; artist; circa 1890

Classificationoil paintings, portraits

Materialsoil paint, canvas

Materials Summaryoil on canvas

DimensionsFrame: 435mm (width), 527mm (height), 67mm (depth)

Registration Number1992-0035-2063

Overview

This extract originally appeared in Te Ata o Tū The Shadow of Tūmatauenga: The New Zealand Wars Collections of Te Papa (Te Papa Press, 2024) on pages 134-135.
This extract was authored by Matiu Baker.

Mohi lived his remaining years in Auckland, where he became a well-known local identity. Louis John Steele’s portrait of Mohi Te Ahi-a-Te-Ngū,1 . . . is a dignified study of the Te Ākitai Waiohua rangatira in quiet repose. Steele, who arrived in New Zealand in 1886, most likely painted this portrait from life shortly before Mohi’s death in 1890. Steele’s portraits of Mohi were praised for the ‘almost pre-Raphaelite’ care lavished upon them, reviewers noting that ‘lighting and colour are Mr Steele’s strong points’.2

1 He was also known as Mohi Horowhenua and Mohi Te Puatau.
2 ‘Academy of Art’, Auckland Star, 30 April 1890, p. 5.