item details
NameAbitatori ornamenti ec (Marquesas Islands)
ProductionAndrea Bernieri; engraver; 1843; Florence
Classificationprints, etchings, works on paper
Materialsink, paper
Materials Summaryetching
Techniquesetching
DimensionsSupport: 146mm (width), 231mm (height)
Registration Number1992-0035-2126
Credit lineAcquisition history unknown
Overview
In April 1774, British explorer James Cook and his crew landed on Tahuata (Santa Cristina), one of the Marquesas Islands. There they met Honu, the highest-ranking chief of Vaitahu, who is shown in John Hall’s engraving in all his finery.
It was through objects, journal accounts, paintings, and engravings from Cook’s voyages that a fascinated British public was first introduced to Pacific people and their homelands. The coloured etching by Andrea Bernieri combines different images from Cook’s voyages, including a portrait of Honu.