Third voyage of James Cook.-

Ellis (William Wade) Mangianooa [Mangaia, Cook Islands], ink & wash, signed ‘W. Ellis fecit 1779’ lower right, titled upper left, inscribed on verso: ‘View of Discovery Island, Latitude 16 S. in the S. Seas? taken? at Sun Rise’, on laid paper, partial armorial watermark, partially laid onto a part of a map of Prospect Harbour published by J.F.W. Des Barres in 1779, glue stains on the lower portion of the map suggest a second view of the same size would originally have been laid down below, small tear and hole upper centre of view where laid down, 140 x 375mm, 1779.

***Ellis was Surgeon's Mate and an amateur artist on Cook's third voyage to the Pacific. This is almost certainly a watercolour after field drawings taken in 1777, examples of which are in The National Library of New Zealand. It would still have been painted during the voyage, however, as the ships did not return home until 1780. An almost identical watercolour, which bears the same title and date, is held by the Hocken Library, University of Otago, and is published in Joppien and Smith's The Charts and Coastal Views of Captain Cook’s Voyages, p.58 (Hakluyt Society, 1997). "The island was first sighted from the Discovery, hence the name, which Cook did not retain." Ellis also gives the incorrect latitude.

Ellis's description of the island in 1777 is in his An Authentic Narrative of a voyage performed by Captain Cook and Captain Clerke..., pp.32-33, (1782): “[...] we discovered land bearing about N. E. [...] At four we were running along the south side, at about the distance of four miles, which as the sun was just rising, afforded a most pleasing prospect. The interior parts rose in moderately high hills, upon the tops of which were trees of various kinds. The sides next the sea were very woody, and we could plainly distinguish cocoa-nut and plantain trees in abundance. — Upon our nearer approach to the shore, we saw many of the natives running along the beach, and, by the help of our glasses, found that some had large clubs upon their shoulders, and that others were armed with long spears. As we proceeded, the Indians followed us, shouting and hallooing, their number increasing very fast. Soon after two of them put off in a canoe (the only one we saw), and came within fifty or sixty yards of the ships, but would not venture nearer, though we made all the friendly sign we could think of, and shewed them beads, hatchets, looking-glasses, and many other articles of Indian trade. Their complexion appeared to be of the dark olive call, their hair was fastened on the top of their heads something in the New Zealand fashion...”

Provenance: Inherited in the 80s, from the owner of The Phoenix Gallery, Crawford Street, Marylebone, which operated until 1977.