Description
Shows the interior of a whare, with a white-bearded Maori man sitting on the ground beside a fire, a small dog asleep on the ground beside him. A taiaha leans on the wall at the left, and on the far wall hangs a kete and a musket. The man wears a dogskin cloak and an earring. Through the open doorway can be seen a canoe drawn up on the shore of Wellington Harbour, and a group of three figures (two kneeling, apparently blowing on a fire below a cauldron) close to a gap in the fence of wooden spiked poles. A hill, probably the Western Hills near Petone, is visible in the background
The title of this work on acquisition, assigned by the seller, was Maori in whare at Pipitea Pa. However the man depicted bears a strong resemblance to Honiana Te Puni (compare Barraud's lithograph 'Te Puni' published 1877 as plate II in New Zealand Graphic and Descriptive) and the oil paintings held by the Wellington City Council and National Library of Australia. The dogskin cloak being worn, with a lighter patch on the left front opening, is also very like the cloak shown in Barraud's other portraits of Te Puni. If the subject is Te Puni, the whare in which he is seated is more likely to be at Petone Pa than at Pipitea Pa. The sea and hills behind are also positioned as if from a view from of Petone Pa, not those near Pipitea Pa.
Other Titles - [Maori in whare at Pipitea Pa. Original title] Epuni Petone
Image Licence
All Rights Reserved
Image Credit
Alexander Turnbull Library
Location
Petone, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand
Country
New Zealand
Tags
Category
People & Society
