Omai, a native of Ulaietea
Engraver
Francesco Bartolozzi
(Italian, 1727 - 1815)
Artist
Nathaniel Dance-Holland
(British, 1735 - 1811)
Date1774
Object number00045168
DCMITypeStill image
NameEngraving
MediumPrinted on medium-weight cream laid watermarked paper
DimensionsSheet: 534 × 320 mm
Image: 515 × 310 mm
Mount / Matt size (C Fini Mount): 717 × 522 mm
Image: 515 × 310 mm
Mount / Matt size (C Fini Mount): 717 × 522 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionAn engraving by Francesco Bartolozzi originally taken from a painting by Nathaniel Dance showing Omai of Ulaietea, Polynesia.
Omai is depicted holding a feather whisk in his right hand, a carved wooden headrest under his left arm and wearing a robe of white tapa cloth. He has been styled in the genre of the 'noble savage', an image that both English society and Omai constructed. Omai joined Captain Cook's second expedition when it visited Huahine in 1773 and he became a celebrity during his visit to England.HistoryThe Polynesian Omai (more correctly Mai), an Indigenous man of Raiatea, asked to join the crew of HMS ADVENTURE (Captain Furneaux) when the ADVENTURE and RESOLUTION visited Huahine in September 1773 during James Cook's second expedition. Omai was not the first Polynesian to join a European ship. The Tahitian Tupai had joined the ENDEAVOUR during Cook's first expedition to the south seas and his navigation and linguistic skills had proven a great asset to the expedition. Another Polynesian, Aoutourou, had joined the French ships of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville. In both instances, the men had died during the voyage to Europe.
Omai arrived in England aboard the ADVENTURE in July 1774 and during his two-year stay became a great celebrity among the upper classes of English society. Joseph Banks took responsibility for the young Omai, presenting him to the King, and introducing him at the Royal Society. Omai was a frequent guest of Lord Sandwich (First Lord of the Admiralty) at his home in Hinchingbrooke. He came to be idolised as a living personification of the Noble Savage by English society. He was painted and sketched by a number of artists including Sir Joshua Reynolds, William Hodges, William Parry and Nathaniel Dance.
Omai returned to Huahine with Cook's third expedition and was landed with a considerable amount of European goods in October 1777. Cook had a two-storey house constructed for him close to the beach. However, regardless of Omai's celebrity in England, at Huahine he was regarded as something of an upstart and after the British departed most of his belongings were stolen. By the time the LADY PENRHYN visited Huahine in 1788, Omai was dead.SignificanceThis is a depiction of the Polynesian Omai after the original work by Nathaniel Dance. Omai was in the unique position of being a south sea explorer who came into contact with European culture. This engraving reminds us that European exploration of the Pacific involved bi-cultural encounter and exchange.
