(Updated January 2016) The painting refers to James Cook’s voyage to Hawaii in 1779. To the right the ‘Resolution’ and the ‘Discovery’ are at anchor off Huaheine (Society Islands), which takes up the foreground of the composition. Indigenous islanders can be seen on boats and among the houses and palm trees along the shore in the middle ground. In the background the mountains rise into the clouded sky.

Through his training under the artist Paul Sandby at Woolwich, John Cleveley the Younger was engaged to produce engravings from drawings made on Captain Cook’s second voyage to the South Seas (1772–75). Later, through their brother James, who worked as carpenter on board the ‘Resolution’ on Cook’s third voyage (1776–80), both John and his twin brother Robert had access to some of the artwork produced on it.

John had not travelled on either expedition himself, but he quickly attempted to capitalize on the artistic opportunities presented by a ready market for South Seas images. He produced ‘HMS Resolution and Discovery at Morea’ (see BHC1896) and other similar views for the print market, including one of the death of Cook at Hawaii. This painting appears to be a copy after the related Huaheine print and was presented in 1951 as a pair with a copy of another by the same hand (BHC1939).