John Gully

Captain Cook's ship "Endeavour" off the West Coast, Mt Cook in the background

Captain Cook's ship "Endeavour" off the West Coast, Mt Cook in the background by John Gully

Artwork Detail

Settler artist John Gully received no formal art training, yet he was probably the most popular artist of his era in New Zealand. The atmospheric qualities of his watercolours were much admired by his contemporaries, who felt he effectively captured the rugged beauty of his adopted land.

This painting, an imaginative recreation of Captain Cook’s first visit to New Zealand in 1769, is designed to evoke a sense of awe at the sight of nature’s sublime forces at work – the Endeavour ploughs through rolling seas, dwarfed by a spectacular backdrop of mountains. (Lure of the Sea, 1999)

Title
Captain Cook's ship "Endeavour" off the West Coast, Mt Cook in the background
Artist/creator
John Gully
Production date
1887
Medium
watercolour
Dimensions
555 x 857 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Sir Cecil Leys, 1933
Accession no
1933/10
Other ID
0/249A Old Accession Number, 1933/10/D
Copyright
No known copyright restrictions
Department
New Zealand Art
Display status
Not on display

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