Pirogue de Guerre de la Nouvelle Zélande — Original 1797 Hand-Coloured Copperplate Engraving

La Pérouse Voyage – Maori Waka Taua – 18th Century Pacific Exploration

A fine original copperplate engraving depicting a beautifully detailed Maori war canoe (waka taua), observed during the French expedition of Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse (1785–1788). This engraving was published in Paris in 1797, as part of “Voyage de La Pérouse autour du monde” — one of the most celebrated Pacific exploration accounts of the 18th century.

Details:

• Title: Pirogue de Guerre de la Nouvelle Zélande
• Plate: Tome III, Pl. 14
• Date: 1797 (first edition)
• Technique: Copperplate engraving with original/period hand-colouring
• Size: 24.5 × 36.5 cm
• Condition: Very good for age — clean plate, light fold lines as issued, generous margins, no trimming.
• Engraver: Duplessi-Bertaux (after La Pérouse expedition artist)

Historical significance: -This iconic plate captures a Maori waka taua (war canoe) with warriors in ceremonial dress, observed in the Bay of Islands region during the La Pérouse expedition’s visit to New Zealand. Such engravings are an important visual record of early encounters between European explorers and Maori, predating the Treaty of Waitangi by nearly 50 years.

Valued $750–$1,100 retail. A highly collectable and historically significant 18th-century New Zealand print.

Ideal for:

• Collectors of New Zealand or Pacific history
• Enthusiasts of early exploration voyages (Cook, La Pérouse, Dumont d’Urville, etc.)
• Decorative and museum-quality framing
• Institutional or private collections

Keywords La Pérouse Voyage 1797 — Maori waka taua — Pirogue de Guerre de la Nouvelle Zélande — original copperplate engraving — early New Zealand print — Pacific exploration — ethnographic art — 18th century — Maori history — Dumont d’Urville — Cook voyages — antique map print.