He haka

Thomas Grant is a good example of a mid-nineteenth century Pākehā soldier-artist, based in New Zealand from 1845 to 1858. Few examples of his work are known. The fourteen works in Te Papa's collection constitute the largest repository of his watercolours, and are united by the keen interest they demonstrate in Māori people, taonga (treasures) and cultural practices. He was not a particularly sophisticated artist, which is evident from his drawing of figures, but this does not diminish the intensity or freshness of his appeal. He often copied the work of other artists, a common practice before the widespread use of photography.

He haka depicts a traditional Māori haka, and is a copy of an earlier lithograph by the French artist Louis de Sainson, Houa Houa Bay, Natives performing a dance on board the Astrolabe. In it, a group of men, women, and possibly children, are shown delivering a boisterous haka on the deck of the French vessel, Astrolabe, whilst it was moored in Tolaga Bay in 1827. While the composition remains faithful to de Sainson's, Grant has reversed the entire image in his watercolour version and erased the background.

Rebecca Rice

March 2019

See Marian Minson, Entry on 'Thomas J Grant' in William McAloon (Ed), Art at Te Papa, Wellington: Te Papa Press, 2009, p. 72.