Artwork Information

Born in Paris, Louis-Auguste de Sainson accompanied Dumont d'Urville on his voyage around the world on board the corvette Astrolabe between 1826 and 1829, producing nearly 500 drawings. Natai, and a related portrait titled Rangui, L'un des Chefs de Shouraki (Nouvelle Zélande) are regarded as outstanding examples of the European concept of 'the noble savage'. This profile portrait shows a sharply handsome, intelligent and alert face, although the hairstyle seems somewhat Napoleonic. De Sainson wrote of his admiration for individual Māori and for Māori activities and rejected the negative stereotypes about Māori that were commonly expressed in France. Leonard Bell describes him as 'a serious, close and sympathetic observer of Māori culture and society . . . [his] approach was level-headed and empirical. Though not always successful, he attempted to record what he saw. His renderings of ornament and moko look careful and faithful . . . '. The official account of the voyage of the Astrolabe was written by Dumont d'Urville and illustrated with lithographs by Antoine Maurin, made from de Sainson's drawings. Maurin was a painter and lithographer who exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1834 and 1836. His Natai is a fine example of the French pictorial tradition and the contribution it made to New Zealand's art history. (from The Guide, 2001)