Loading

War dance

Thomas John Grant (artist)1851

Te Papa

Te Papa
Wellington, New Zealand

This essay originally appeared in New Zealand Art at Te Papa (Te Papa Press, 2018).

Thomas Grant is a good example of a mid-nineteenth century Pākehā soldier-artist, based in New Zealand from 1845 to 1858. Few examples of his work are known. The fourteen works in Te Papa's collection constitute the largest repository of his watercolours, and are united by the keen interest they demonstrate in Māori people, taonga (treasures) and cultural practices. He was not a particularly sophisticated artist, which is evident from his drawing of figures, but this does not diminish the intensity or freshness of his appeal. He often copied the work of other artists, a common practice before the widespread use of photography.

War dance depicts a traditional Māori haka, and is a close copy of drawings dating from the mid-1840s by John Gilfillan, located in the Hocken Collections, Dunedin and the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington. We do not know the tribe or location, though GiIfillan himself was based in Whanganui. Grant spiritedly conveys the vigorous stamping of feet, and his eye for detail is nicely conveyed in the men’s full facial moko (tattoo). A woman stands proud in front of the group, wielding a greenstone mere, fierce in her belief that her accompanying war party would be successfuln any imminent fighting. The nude and semi-nude men standing and gesticulating behind her hold a variety of weapons, both traditional and modern, the latter evident in the two muskets. Although the haka was long monopolised by men thereafter and is most famously associated in the popular mind with All Black rugby teams, Grant’s watercolour offers one of several uninterrupted historical records of women’s participation, and indeed their distinctive role, within it.

Rebecca Rice

March 2019

Details

  • Title: War dance
  • Creator: Thomas John Grant (artist)
  • Date Created: 1851
  • Location: New Zealand
  • Physical Dimensions: Image: 188mm (height), 316mm (length), Support: 188mm (height), 316mm (length)
  • Provenance: Purchased 1991 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds
  • Subject Keywords: Indigenous peoples, Ceremonial dancers, Māori, British Colonial
  • Rights: All Rights Reserved
  • External Link: Te Papa Collections Online
  • Medium: watercolour
  • Support: paper
  • Registration ID: 1991-0003-16

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Flash this QR Code to get the app
Google apps