Bilder John Webber (1751–1793) – View of a Young Woman of Otaheite Bringing a Present – Oceania – Large Folio Engraving (1784)

Beskrivning

"A YOUNG WOMAN of OTAHEITE, bringing a PRESENT." This engraving illustrates a Tahitian woman draped in a vast quantity of ceremonial bark cloth, or tapa, which is wrapped around her body in a large, architectural hoop. She stands in a tropical landscape with palm trees and mountains in the background. The technical nature is a copper engraving published in London by G. Nicol and T. Cadell as part of the official account of Captain James Cook's third voyage, titled A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean. John Webber was the official artist appointed to the expedition, tasked with documenting the people, landscapes, and customs encountered across the Pacific and the Northwest Coast of America. His primary contribution was the creation of a vast visual record that introduced European audiences to the cultures of Polynesia and Alaska with unprecedented detail. His work is significant for its ethnographic observation, capturing specific ritual practices like the presentation of cloth as a sign of prestige and wealth in Tahitian society.

John Webber was an English painter and printmaker who rose to international prominence after being selected by the Admiralty to accompany Captain Cook on his final voyage of discovery. Trained in Bern and Paris, he brought a refined neoclassical sensibility to the documentation of scientific and geographical findings. His primary contribution was the transformation of field sketches into finished oil paintings and subsequent engravings that shaped the European imagination of the South Seas for decades. Webber's meticulous attention to costume, tattoo patterns, and architectural structures provided a foundational archive for later anthropologists and historians. His legacy remains central to the history of Pacific exploration, as his plates continue to be cited as some of the most important visual primary sources from the first period of sustained contact between Europe and Oceania.

Artist or Maker: John Webber.

Dimensions: Approximately 55 cm x 40 cm.

Medium: Engraving.

Date: 1784.

Condition Report:
This work is in good condition overall. There may be a few minor imperfections or fox or mottled marks to be expected with age. Please review the images carefully for condition details, and feel free to contact us with any questions or for a comprehensive condition report.