John Webber Landscape Prints

"A Boxing Match Hapaee" (Tonga) is an engraving created by I. Taylor, from a drawing by John Webber (1752-1793), who was the artist on Captain James Cook's 3rd and final voyage of discovery. It is Plate 15 in the atlas of "A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean Undertaken by the Command of His Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere", the official British Admirality sanctioned journal published upon completion of the voyage in London in 1784 by Strahan & Cadell. This famous image of a boxing match in honor of Captain Cook and his crew on their arrival on the island of Hapeea, which is in modern day Tonga. Cook referred to the chain of islands as "The Friendly Islands" due to his warm welcome by its inhabitants. These long-haired boxers are shirtless, shoeless, attired in skirts that extend to and below their knees and their hands are wrapped in string. A large group of Tongans spectators are seen in the backgropund. This engraving is beautifully and skillfully hand colored and professionally framed in a reddish brown wood frame with black and light brown flecks and a gold-colored inner trim. There is a cream-colored fabric mat and a distinctive gold-colored wood fillet. There is a faint crease or closed tear in the left upper margin which may extend slightly into the print, an area of discoloration in the lower right margin and a small spot in the right lower margin, but the print is otherwise in very good condition. There are minor frame abrasions. Captain Cook is the greatest explorer of the 18th century "Age of Discovery" and one of the greatest explorers of all-time. He discovered many Polynesian islands, explored and surveyed their coastlines, as well as those of Australia, New Zealand, the Northwest coast of North America and adjacent portions of Russia. After discovering Hawaii, which he named The Sandwich Islands, he was killed by natives in Kealakekua Bay on the big island of Hawaii in 1779. His ships the Resolution and Discovery then returned to England. Other notables who were part of this expedition included Captain William Bligh, Cook's sailing master, who would later go down in history as captain of the mutinous crew of the Bounty and George Vancouver...