Milan, Italy, published 1818
1818
Hand-colored engraving on paper, custom linen mat, gilt border
Image: 10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm); matted: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Stockholm
This hand-colored engraving was published in Milan in 1818 as part of L'Oceanica, an Italian illustrated volume documenting Pacific peoples and cultures in the aftermath of the European voyage era. The plate presents two paired bust portraits of Hawaiian figures above — a woman with floral adornment and a man in feathered headdress and fiber cape — and a canoe scene below showing two figures at sea holding what appear to be skull ornaments. The dual-register format was a common device in early 19th-century ethnographic publications for presenting figures and cultural context together.
The hand-coloring is applied with care to the dress, ornament, headdress, and the tonal wash of the sea in the lower scene. The custom linen mat and gilt border frame the image cleanly. The Stockholm provenance reflects the wide European circulation of Pacific printed material, and L'Oceanica is among the earlier Italian contributions to the genre of illustrated Pacific voyage publication.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Milan, Italy, published 1818
1818
Hand-colored engraving on paper, custom linen mat, gilt border
Image: 10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm); matted: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Stockholm
This hand-colored engraving was published in Milan in 1818 as part of L'Oceanica, an Italian illustrated volume documenting Pacific peoples and cultures in the aftermath of the European voyage era. The plate presents two paired bust portraits of Hawaiian figures above — a woman with floral adornment and a man in feathered headdress and fiber cape — and a canoe scene below showing two figures at sea holding what appear to be skull ornaments. The dual-register format was a common device in early 19th-century ethnographic publications for presenting figures and cultural context together.
The hand-coloring is applied with care to the dress, ornament, headdress, and the tonal wash of the sea in the lower scene. The custom linen mat and gilt border frame the image cleanly. The Stockholm provenance reflects the wide European circulation of Pacific printed material, and L'Oceanica is among the earlier Italian contributions to the genre of illustrated Pacific voyage publication.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
