Art from Cook’s first voyage

Press, 19 May 1984, Page 18

Art from Cook’s first voyage

Sydney Parkinson, Artist of Cooke’s Endeavour Voyage. Edited by D. J. Carr. Nova Pacifica, 1983. 300 pp. 263 plates. $B5. (Reviewed by Colin Webb) Cook’s first world circumnavigation (1768-1771) is of significance for us in New Zealand because he and his crew were the first Europeans to set foot here. By sailing around and mapping these islands, Cook also showed that New Zealand was not part of a vast southern continent, as had been supposed by Tasman. This voyage was of great scientific importance as it allowed the collection of the first plant, and to a lesser extent animal, specimens from New Zealand and eastern Australia. However, in many ways the expedition was ill-fated; almost half of the initial ship’s complement of 85 died before the return to England. Most of these deaths resulted from malaria or dysentery, because of an 11-week stop in Java to repair damage to the Endeavour suffered in an encounter with the Great Barrier Reef. It was shortly after setting out from Batavia that Sydney Parkinson died at the age of 26. Parkinson was one of two artists who assisted Joseph Banks by illustrating the biological collections made during the voyage; the other, Alexander Buchan, died earlier in Tahiti. This book provides a representative sample of Parkinson’s work, with about half of the plates reproduced in colour. It is particularly gratifying to see so many plates in this volume because the scientific account

of the expedition along with the plates, was never published. Thus, the diligent work of Parkinson in illustrating the plants, and of Solander and Banks in describing them, was of little benefit to science, and it later fell to other botanists to describe and name the plants, often using the collections from this voyage. In an entertaining introductory chapter Wilfrid Blunt gives an account of the voyage which brings to life the participants — we even learn of Bank’s sexual promiscuity in the Society Islands. Blunt’s easy and informative writing contrasts with the turgid, pedantic style of the editor’s preface, which can be easily skipped for it largely repeats information better presented in subsequent chapters. In a further chapter, Blunt examines the illustrations themselves; again this is fascinating reading with spice added by occasional sparring at academic colleagues. As many of Parkinson’s original sketches were incomplete, Banks employed several artists to prepare the plates for the never-to-appear publication — some of those reproduced here are from the completed plates. Blunt’s conclusion is that the best of Parkinson’s work is tremendously impressive, as was his vast output during the voyage, much of it produced in rough seas and under intolerably cramped conditions. The plates are acompanied by detailed captions, including currently accepted name for the plant or animal, a description of the organism, and historical or economic details. Much detective work must have been

involved in sorting out correct names and the correct attribution of poorly annotated illustrations. For example Parkinson’s drawings of Malay boats were undoubtedly copied from books on board the Endeavour and the boats never seen at sea.

Five chapters deal with the plant illustrations from particular regions, one with the animal illustrations, and two brief concluding chapters with coastlines and boats. The essays, which accompany each set of plates, are written by leading authorities in the appropriate field and are quite varied in approach, biased as they are towards a biological, artistic, or historical perspective. This does not detract at all from their value but makes each complete and satisfying.

The two most relevant to New Zealand are those on the plants of New Zealand by E. J. Godley, with 20 plates, and the short chapter on coastal profiles and landscapes by J. R. H. Spencer. Godley examines the question of what the naturalists expected to find on this voyage given the then current European attitude, as expressed by Linneaus, that in the whole world there would be fewer than 10,000 plant species. On reaching South America, Banks and his assistants found that “... the Creator had been busier than men thought.” This is a well produced volume in spite of the appearance of the dust jacket. It contains much useful scientific and historical information, and many beautiful illustrations; in this it is a fitting tribute to Sydney Parkinson.