Ethnography

Image 28 of 69
  previous page next page

"Canoes of various Islands visited and discovered by the Waaksamheydt"

Artist: Raper, George
Created: [1791?]
Dimensions: 32.4 x 49.7 cm
Reference: Raper Drawing - no. 29

 

hide detailed image description

Three drawings of indigenous people of various Pacific Islands paddling their canoes, and two plans of the canoes. At top left is a view of a grey-green canoe with an outrigger rowed by seven figures, with an eighth man standing towards the front brandishing a paddle. Their hair appears to be arranged into top-knots. At top right is a view of pale yellow-grey canoe with covered ends, and objects suspended from them. The outrigger is placed in the foreground, and there is a platform balanced across the centre of the canoe and the connecting poles. Six figures can be seen paddling the canoe, and five standing on the platform, holding bows and what appears to be fishing equipment. The plan at bottom right illustrates how the outrigger and platform are attached to the canoe. The view in the centre depicts a pale grey canoe rowed by eight figures, the front figure being disproportionately small, with a standing figure at the back holding a spear decorated with feathers. They all have straight, grey-white hair. Both ends of the canoe rise up in a crescent shape, and have a line attaching them to the outrigger, which is visible on the far side of the canoe. In the distance to the right is a view of a canoe end-on, illustrating the attachment of the outrigger. The grey ink and wash plan at bottom left further illustrates how the outrigger is attached to the canoe by a series of parallel poles. All the drawings are set in seascapes, with the sea represented by blue washes overlaid with irregular grey brush marks, the sky by blue and grey washes around unpainted clouds, and the shore by grey-green stippled marks and schematic palm trees. Each of the drawings is framed by a black ink border, inscribed with a title in a panel below, and separated from adjacent drawings by a band of pink wash. They are all enclosed within a triple-banded border with a central band of pink wash with a title panel at top.

 

show notes