Nuka Hiva, Marquesas Islands, Polynesia
1820s
German hand colored engraving
16 x 20 in. including mat; image 5 x 8 in.
40.6 x 50.8 cm including mat; image 12.7 x 20.3 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Stockholm
This German hand colored engraving depicts a tattooed man from Nuka Hiva in the Marquesas Islands. European publications of the early 19th century often recorded Pacific peoples through portraits, costume studies, and scenes drawn from voyage accounts. In the Marquesas, tattooing carried deep social, personal, and ceremonial meaning, marking identity, rank, maturity, and achievement.
The print is small in image size but presented within a larger mat for display. Its hand coloring adds visual detail to the figure while preserving the engraved line work beneath. As a work on paper, it belongs to the wider visual archive through which Polynesia entered European printed culture during the 19th century.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Nuka Hiva, Marquesas Islands, Polynesia
1820s
German hand colored engraving
16 x 20 in. including mat; image 5 x 8 in.
40.6 x 50.8 cm including mat; image 12.7 x 20.3 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Stockholm
This German hand colored engraving depicts a tattooed man from Nuka Hiva in the Marquesas Islands. European publications of the early 19th century often recorded Pacific peoples through portraits, costume studies, and scenes drawn from voyage accounts. In the Marquesas, tattooing carried deep social, personal, and ceremonial meaning, marking identity, rank, maturity, and achievement.
The print is small in image size but presented within a larger mat for display. Its hand coloring adds visual detail to the figure while preserving the engraved line work beneath. As a work on paper, it belongs to the wider visual archive through which Polynesia entered European printed culture during the 19th century.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
