Bilder John Webber (1751–1793) – View of Poulaho, King of the Friendly Islands, Drinking Kava – Oceania – Large Folio Engraving (1784)

Beskrivning

"POULAHO, KING of the FRIENDLY ISLANDS, drinking KAVA." This engraving illustrates a formal kava ceremony within a large, thatched Tongan structure, featuring the king seated amongst a large assembly of men arranged in a ceremonial circle. The scene provides a detailed interior view of Tongan architectural construction, showing the complex timber framing and lashed supports of the roof. 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 sovereign leaders, social hierarchies, and ritual practices encountered across the Pacific. This work is significant for its ethnographic precision, documenting the social importance of the kava ritual in Tongan political life as observed firsthand during the late eighteenth century.

John Webber was an English painter and printmaker who achieved international fame after being selected by the Admiralty to accompany Captain Cook on his final voyage of discovery. Trained in Bern and Paris, he applied a refined neoclassical aesthetic to the documentation of scientific and geographical findings. His primary contribution was the transformation of field sketches into finished paintings and subsequent engravings that defined the European perception of the Pacific for generations. Webber's meticulous attention to interior architecture, local customs, and material culture provided a vital archive for anthropologists and historians studying early contact between European and Pacific cultures.

Artist or Maker: John Webber.

Dimensions: Approximately 40 cm x 55 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.