Tongataboo, Tonga, Polynesia
1784
Copper plate engraving after John Webber
24 x 20 in. including archival mat
61 x 50.8 cm including archival mat
Provenance: Randy Nagatani, Honolulu, Hawaii; Lahaina Printsellers, Maui, Hawaii
This copper plate engraving depicts a flatooka or morai in Tongataboo, Tonga. It comes from the first edition atlas of Captain Cook’s third and final voyage, published in 1784, with the image after John Webber. The subject records a sacred or ceremonial structure within the Tongan landscape, reflecting European interest in Polynesian religious architecture and social order.
Webber served as official artist on Cook’s third voyage, producing drawings that shaped the published visual record of the Pacific. The engraving uses the formal language of late 18th-century expedition printmaking to present place, architecture, and cultural setting with measured detail. As a Cook voyage print, it connects Tongan ceremonial history with one of the major printed records of Pacific exploration.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Tongataboo, Tonga, Polynesia
1784
Copper plate engraving after John Webber
24 x 20 in. including archival mat
61 x 50.8 cm including archival mat
Provenance: Randy Nagatani, Honolulu, Hawaii; Lahaina Printsellers, Maui, Hawaii
This copper plate engraving depicts a flatooka or morai in Tongataboo, Tonga. It comes from the first edition atlas of Captain Cook’s third and final voyage, published in 1784, with the image after John Webber. The subject records a sacred or ceremonial structure within the Tongan landscape, reflecting European interest in Polynesian religious architecture and social order.
Webber served as official artist on Cook’s third voyage, producing drawings that shaped the published visual record of the Pacific. The engraving uses the formal language of late 18th-century expedition printmaking to present place, architecture, and cultural setting with measured detail. As a Cook voyage print, it connects Tongan ceremonial history with one of the major printed records of Pacific exploration.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
