. English: 'Poedua, the Daughter of Orio' (b. circa 1758 - d. before 1788) A three-quarter-length portrait of Poedua (or Poetua, the usual modern spelling), the 19-year-old daughter of Orio, chief of the Haamanino district of Raiatea (Ulietea), one of the Society Islands neighbouring Tahiti. Standing a little to the left, she is shown with her head slightly inclined, looking out of the picture to meet the gaze of the viewer. She wears a white drape of tapa cloth beneath her bare breasts and long black hair cascades over her shoulders. Cape jasmine blossom is positioned in her hair at her ears
. English: 'Poedua, the Daughter of Orio' (b. circa 1758 - d. before 1788) A three-quarter-length portrait of Poedua (or Poetua, the usual modern spelling), the 19-year-old daughter of Orio, chief of the Haamanino district of Raiatea (Ulietea), one of the Society Islands neighbouring Tahiti. Standing a little to the left, she is shown with her head slightly inclined, looking out of the picture to meet the gaze of the viewer. She wears a white drape of tapa cloth beneath her bare breasts and long black hair cascades over her shoulders. Cape jasmine blossom is positioned in her hair at her ears. Her right arm falls by her side and she holds a 'fly whisk' in her right hand, a mark of chiefly rank. Her left arm rests across her hips. Her arms and hands are covered with small tattoos. She is shown against an imaginary tropical background of sky and distant mountains with a plantain tree positioned on the left. The portrait resulted from Captain Cook's third voyage 1776-80 and was one of the earliest images of a Polynesian woman produced by a European painter for a western audience. The purpose of Cook's voyages was to make particular discoveries in the Pacific and provide detailed information for the Admiralty on the coastlines and islands he explored. He took astronomers, other officers skilled in surveying, botanists and artists to record their findings. John Webber, the Anglo-Swiss artist on his third voyage in the 'Resolution' and 'Discovery' (the latter commanded by Lt Charles Clerke), graphically documented the expedition's progress to describe the landscape, inhabitants, costumes and dwellings encountered. These images were among the first pictures that enabled Europeans to gain an authentic idea of many Pacific islands and the north-west coast of America. Webber initially produced rapid pencil impressions and wash sketches and these formed the basis for more elaborate compositions, some worked up on the voyage and others later in London for publication. He also
Size: 1796px × 2784px
Photo credit: © The Picture Art Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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