Pūtiki Pā, Whanganui
John Alexander Gilfillan, Artist
This is one of the
watercolours
in our collection.
It was made in
Whanganui Region, New Zealand
in 1847.
About the Work
This
important
watercolour
of
Putiki-whara-nui
is
the
original
of
a
well-known,
but
rare,
New
Zealand
print
called
Interior
of
a
native
Village
or
Pa
in
New
Zealand,
published
in
London
in
1852,
shown
alongside.
It
is
also
said
to
be
the
origin
of
a
now-lost
oil
painting
of
the
same
subject
.
The artist John Gilfillan arrived in New Zealand in 1841, having learned carpentry and engineering to fit himself for the rigours of colonial life. He and his wife and children went immediately to Petre, now Whanganui, taking up land at Mataraua, near Putiki. It is most likely that the land, provided by the New Zealand Company, had not been purchased. Despite this, Gilfillan became friendly with local Māori and made many drawings of them. Resentment at the growing presence of Pakeha grew, and in 1847 a travelling group of Māori killed his wife and three children and wounded Gilfillan and his eldest daughter. With this daughter and surviving son he left for Sydney, where he made a large painting of the pa at Putiki. This work was said to have been chosen by Prince Albert and the Duke of Wellington for exhibition at the New Zealand Court in the great Exhibition of 1851 and is rumoured to have been lost in Paris during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. PS
Māori kainga (villages) have attracted Pakeha artists ever since the early colonial days. Some of these are displayed under the theme Manawhenua in this exhibition. This lithograph based on Gilfillan's original watercolour, however, is placed under the related theme of Taonga, because it refers not only to Māori architecture but also to motherhood and infants. In Māori culture, childbearing, children and nurturing are very highly valued taonga. While the lithographer has sought to provide architectural details of a kainga, including the maihi and tekoteko of whare and pataka, he has chosen to add an air of domesticity with suckling infants and mothers, both human and canine. JD
(from Te Huringa text, http://www.fletchercollection.co.nz/exhibition/turning-points/category3/john-gilfillan.php)
The artist John Gilfillan arrived in New Zealand in 1841, having learned carpentry and engineering to fit himself for the rigours of colonial life. He and his wife and children went immediately to Petre, now Whanganui, taking up land at Mataraua, near Putiki. It is most likely that the land, provided by the New Zealand Company, had not been purchased. Despite this, Gilfillan became friendly with local Māori and made many drawings of them. Resentment at the growing presence of Pakeha grew, and in 1847 a travelling group of Māori killed his wife and three children and wounded Gilfillan and his eldest daughter. With this daughter and surviving son he left for Sydney, where he made a large painting of the pa at Putiki. This work was said to have been chosen by Prince Albert and the Duke of Wellington for exhibition at the New Zealand Court in the great Exhibition of 1851 and is rumoured to have been lost in Paris during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. PS
Māori kainga (villages) have attracted Pakeha artists ever since the early colonial days. Some of these are displayed under the theme Manawhenua in this exhibition. This lithograph based on Gilfillan's original watercolour, however, is placed under the related theme of Taonga, because it refers not only to Māori architecture but also to motherhood and infants. In Māori culture, childbearing, children and nurturing are very highly valued taonga. While the lithographer has sought to provide architectural details of a kainga, including the maihi and tekoteko of whare and pataka, he has chosen to add an air of domesticity with suckling infants and mothers, both human and canine. JD
(from Te Huringa text, http://www.fletchercollection.co.nz/exhibition/turning-points/category3/john-gilfillan.php)
Measurements
Image 282 x 411mm
Frame 700 x 802mm
Frame 700 x 802mm
Media
watercolour on paper
Subject Place
Description
Watercolour painting of Pūtiki Pā, Whanganui showing several whare (houses) each side of a group of pātaka (storehouses raised off the ground). A cloaked figure is seated on the ground next to the pataka. A woman is seated on the ground at the right closest to the viewer breastfeeding an infant while another child sits next to her. To the woman's left is a pig breastfeeding her litter of piglets. Behind the buildings is a wooden fence and bush with some tall trees at the right. In the distance is a range of tall hills. There are carvings at the apex of the buildings as well as on the fence at the right.
Credit Line
Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui. Purchased by the Sarjeant Gallery Trust, 1995.
Collection Type
Permanent collection
Acquisition Date
02 May 1995