This watercolour was painted by a French artist who had never visited New Zealand. Looking more like a Roman warrior than a Māori, the man is standing against a background that is also remarkably inauthentic – the whare (house) is the wrong shape and has no carved columns. Artists living in Europe drew images based upon the journals of early explorers. Artworks such as these helped to create the impression that Europeans and Māori were somehow linked.
Using this item
Auckland Art Gallery – Toi o Tāmaki
Etching by Jacques Grasset de Saint-Sauver
Permission of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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