Hordern House

BARTOLOZZI, Francesco and William BYRNE (after John WEBBER) The Death of Captain Cook... London, Sold in Spur Street, Leicester Square, n.d. but 1784

Oval engraving, 395 x 270 mm. (plate size); crease in lower margin, otherwise in very good condition.

Exceptionally rare variant of the famous engraving of Cook's death showing, as the caption notes, "Part of the Original Plate after Webber". This is only rarely seen: the only copy catalogued by Joppien and Smith was in the British Museum.

Based on the oil painting executed by Webber soon after he returned to London in 1780, the full-size version of the engraving was first issued early in 1784 (see catalogue no. XXXX): Francesco Bartolozzi was responsible for the figures in the engraving and William Byrne produced the landscape.

Reflecting the general opinion prevailing in published accounts of the voyage, the original image, as Joppien and Smith argue, appeared to show Cook as 'an innocent victim, killed in the act of pleading for peace'. This is here heightened by the changed composition, as the oval design gives the original image a radically different impact, eschewing the drama of the conflict between the British sailors and the Hawaiians in favour of a scene in which Cook, his arm raised in supplication to his men offstage, stands alone and overwhelmed by a seething crowd.

The only copy noted among Australian holdings appears to be the heavily clipped copy in the National Library of Australia, part of the Nan Kivell collection.
Joppien & Smith, note to 3.305A; not in Beddie; not in Nan Kivell & Spence.

$A8750

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