Documents including Autographs

Lot 4012    Session 12 (11.30am Thursday)    Documents including Autographs

Estimate $60
Bid at live.noble.com.au

CAPTAIN COOK'S THIRD VOYAGE LITHOGRAPH, A Human Sacrifice, in a Morai, in Otaheite, by J. Webber, the drawing featuring Tahitians with Captain James Cook assembled at the sacrifical scene with some of his men, lithograph in b&w by W. Woollett, (approx 47.5x27cm) and with frame (approx 65x45cm), matted and timber framed under UV protection glass. Extremely fine.

John Webber was appointed as the official artist for Captain James Cook's third voyage of discovery. A successful landscape artist, Webber provided the illustrations for the three volume set of the official record of the voyage and after returning to London he exhibited these works at the Royal Academy. It was on this third voyage that Capt Cook was killed in Hawaii on 14 February 1779 after a dispute with the local inhabitants.

This drawing would have been done in 1776 since Tahiti was Cook's first landing as he had to return Omai, a young native of the island of Huahine near Tahiti who had travelled to England aboard the Adventure during Cook's second voyage. Omai was the first South Sea Islander to be seen there thus creating much curiosity. He became the 'darling' of the London scene and was even introduced to the King and Queen.

Together with basic history of John Webber (1752-1793).