Antique Print of British Explorer Captain James Cook, 1779

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Antique Print of British Explorer Captain James Cook, 1779

About the Item

Description: Engraved head and shoulder portrait of Cook based on the oil portrait by Nathaniel Dance which is considered to be the best likeness of Cook made. Image of Cook surrounded by images of natives he met on his journeys. The Dance oil portrayed Cook in captain’s full-dress uniform, consisting of a navy blue jacket and white breeches, white waistcoat embellished with gold braid and buttons. He wears a grey wig or his own hair powdered and holds his own chart of the Southern hemisphere while his right hand points to the east coast of Australia. Cook had returned from his second voyage in 1775 and had sat for this portrait, commissioned by Sir Joseph Banks, ‘for a few hours before dinner’ on 25 May 1776. This portrait had hung over the fireplace in the library of Bank’s London house. Samwell, surgeon’s mate in the ‘Resolution’ on the second voyage and surgeon on the ‘Discovery’ on the third, thought it ‘a most excellent likeness … and … the only one I have seen that bears any resemblance to him’. Captain James Cook FRS (7 November 1728[NB 1] – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and to Australia in particular. He made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. Nathaniel Dance (1735 - 1811) Dance studied under Francis Hayman and abroad in Italy. On his return to England, he became a successful portrait painter. He was one of the founder members of the Royal Academy in 1768. Some of his most famous portraits include; Captain James Cook, King George III and his queen and the famous actor David Garrick. Condition of the print is good. The sheet is trifle yellowed/slightly brownish or soiled. Study the image carefully.

Dimensions:
Height: 11.03 in (28 cm)Width: 7.49 in (19 cm)Depth: 0 in (0.02 mm)
Materials and Techniques:
Paper
Period:
1770-1779
Date of Manufacture:
1779
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Langweer, NL
Reference Number:
Seller: BG-13059-171stDibs: LU3054326300792