Rare New Zealand painting up for grabs at Christie's in London
A rare painting by one of Captain James Cook's crew members is set to go on sale at the famous London store Christie's later this month.
The painting by Williams Hodges depicts a Maori man standing near Cascade Cove in Dusky Bay, an area now part of the Fiordland National Park.
The almost 250-year-old piece is set to be sold for about the $200,000 mark.
Hodges was on Cook's second voyage to the Pacific, and is considered an important contributor to early New Zealand art.
Ari Edgecombe, curator of visual arts at the Southland Museum & Art Gallery, said while Hodges was employed to draw coastal views for navigation purposes, his main work was to gather material for landscape paintings.
"He would of made quite a large amount of sketches, and oils. The voyage home was very lengthy, that is when he would of done most of his big oil paintings," he said.
The Southland Museum has a similar painting by Hodges of Dusky Bay. Edgecombe said it was a popular attraction which people loved spending time with.
Although the sale at Christie's could go to a private collection, Edgecombe was confident it would one day make it back to New Zealand.
"These things will make their way back where they came from," he said.
Written by Tommy Livingston. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz
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