Watercolour depicting scene of Whitby explorer Captain Cook's final voyage up for auction

A watercolour depicting a scene from Captain Cook’s third voyage to the Pacific, by the ship’s surgeon’s mate and amateur artist, William Wade Ellis (1751-1785), is to go under the hammer.
Ellis watercolour of Cook's last voyageEllis watercolour of Cook's last voyage
Ellis watercolour of Cook's last voyage

The work was taken into Chiswick Auctions, London, in a box of other drawings by its owner, who had no knowledge of what this particular work was.

It was only on further investigation and research by specialist Rhydian Williams, that it was determined as being from Cook’s third and final voyage.

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The work in ink and wash is a simple, yet beautiful encapsulation of Mangaia, Cook Islands, as HMS Discovery approached.

Titled Magianooa, it is believed to be after field drawings Ellis produced in 1777 (currently in the National Library of New Zealand).

The work is backed onto a map and is inscribed on its reverse as: ‘View of Discovery Island, latitude 16.8 in the S. Seas taken at sunrise.’

It has been given a conservative estimate of £600-£800 but due to the interest in Cook’s voyages, it is estimated to achieve more when it goes up for auction on March 31.

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Mr Williams said: “We were delighted to be presented with this lovely watercolour and to discover it’s amazing background, as its owner had no idea of its origins."

William Wade Ellis (1751-1785) sailed with Captain Cook, as the surgeon’s mate on his third voyage to the Pacific, which would be Cook's final voyage (12 July 1776 – 4 October 1780).

They travelled from Plymouth via Cape Town and Tenerife, to New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands and along the North American coast to the Bering Strait.

It was on this voyage, in Hawaii where quarrels with the locals broke out culminating in Cook’s death in 1779.

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Ellis was a skilled artist, who captured the changing landscapes and wildlife during the voyage.

Collections of his works are held in the Natural History Museum, London and the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, New Zealand.

Having survived the third voyage with Cook, Ellis returned to write several accounts of the trip, alongside his many sketches of wildlife.

An accident on ship in 1785 claimed his life, just as he was embarking on an Austrian expedition.