Tahiti. Sommet du Pic de Bora-bora. Papara. D’Urville c1834

$15.00

Antique Print of two original finely engraved views: Sommet du Pic de Bora-bora. Morai de Papara. (Summit of the Peak of Bora Bora. Temple of Papara.)

This is one of the wonderful engravings D'Urville published, from the drawings by his official expedition artist Louis Auguste de Sainson (1801-1887) and sketches and engravings from previous voyages. This pair of engravings is from Voyages Pittoresque Autour de Monde  (Picturesque Voyages around the World) published in Paris circa 1834, under the direction of Dumont d'Urville. This interesting work contained information and engravings from many early voyages of discoveries. Most of the engravings were printed two on a page, one above the other.

Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville (1790-1842), was physically weak but a prodigious student who loved botany and entomology, learned many foreign languages, and was captivated by news of discoveries from around the world. He became a naval officer and explorer, and ultimately, a Rear Admiral. From 1822 to 1825, with Lieutenant Louis Isidore Duperrey in command of the Coquille, D'Urville explored the Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica. On his first voyage he named hundreds of new botanical specimens, and insects. Because of his good memory and capacity for languages, he also acquired a knowledge of native dialects around Polynesia and Melanesia. D'Urville was fascinated by the different cultures of the region. Dumont d'Urville was the explorer who differentiated and named the groups of Pacific islands. From 1826 to 1829 D'Urville returned to the Pacific in command of Coquille, renamed Astrolabe in honour of La Perouse.

The page measures 265 x 175mm (approximately 10.5 x 7 inches). This page is black and white, as published.

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