New Zealand War Canoe: Original 18th C. Engraving from Captain Cook's 1st Voyage
"War Canoe of New Zealand, with a View of the Gable End Foreland" is an engraving created by Thomas Prattent, from a drawing by Sidney Parkinson, who was the artist on Captain James Cook's 1st voyage of discovery. It is plate 19 in Alexander Hogg's publication "A New, Authentic, and Complete Collection of Voyages Round the World" published in London in 1785.
Creator: Sydney Parkinson (1745-1771, British)
Creation Year: 1785
Dimensions: Height: 9.5 in (24.13 cm) Width: 15.25 in (38.74 cm)
Medium: Engraving
Condition: See description below.
Reference #: 807
"War Canoe of New Zealand, with a View of the Gable End Foreland" is an engraving created by Thomas Prattent, from a drawing by Sidney Parkinson, who was the artist on Captain James Cook's 1st voyage of discovery. It is plate 19 in Alexander Hogg's publication "A New, Authentic, and Complete Collection of Voyages Round the World" published in London in 1785.
Creator: Sydney Parkinson (1745-1771, British)
Creation Year: 1785
Dimensions: Height: 9.5 in (24.13 cm) Width: 15.25 in (38.74 cm)
Medium: Engraving
Condition: See description below.
Reference #: 807
"War Canoe of New Zealand, with a View of the Gable End Foreland" is an engraving created by Thomas Prattent, from a drawing by Sidney Parkinson, who was the artist on Captain James Cook's 1st voyage of discovery. It is plate 19 in Alexander Hogg's publication "A New, Authentic, and Complete Collection of Voyages Round the World" published in London in 1785.
Creator: Sydney Parkinson (1745-1771, British)
Creation Year: 1785
Dimensions: Height: 9.5 in (24.13 cm) Width: 15.25 in (38.74 cm)
Medium: Engraving
Condition: See description below.
Reference #: 807
The engraving depicts an ornately carved canoe with a very prominent feature at the stern. There are eight Maori Warriors standing and about twenty-eight seated. The warriors wear feathers in their hair and some, presumably the leaders, are wearing highly decorated cloaks. Gable End Foreland is seen in the background on the left. It is a prominent headland on the northeastern coast of New Zealand's North Island. Captain Cook chose the name on his first voyage to New Zealand in 1769 because of the similarity of the weathered cliff to a house gable.
The engraving is printed on laid chain-linked paper. There are some faint spots in the lower margin and four pin-holes in the upper margin. The print is otherwise in very good condition.
Alexander Hogg was an 18th and early 19th century publisher of illustrated books of architectural and historical prints, as well as maps. His publishing house was located in London at the Kings Arms on Paternoster Row.
The artist, Sidney Parkinson (1745-1771), was a Scottish botanical illustrator and natural history artist. He was the first European artist to visit Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti. Parkinson was employed by the wealthy botanist Joseph Banks to travel with him on James Cook's first voyage to the Pacific in 1768-69 in HMS Endeavour. Parkinson made nearly a thousand drawings of plants and animals collected by Banks and another scientist, Daniel Solander on the voyage. He died at sea on the way to Cape Town of dysentery contracted at Princes' Island off the western end of Java. Banks paid his outstanding salary to his brother.
