Heaphy, Charles, 1820-1881: "Wikitoria (Victoria), a halfcast of Massacre Bay"

Watercolour by Charles Heaphy.

Shows a young Māori woman, Meri Wikitoria Makarini of Massacre Bay. She is smiling gently, and is seated on the ground with her legs to one side. She is barebreasted with a cloak or rug covering her lower torso and legs except for the lower right leg.

Meri Makarini was the granddaughter of Henare Te Keha, and the daughter of Wikitoria te Amohau and Fritz of Bremen (information from Tuckett correspondence, 12 April 1843 in Hocken Library's MS-0156, page 195?). She was baptised by Samuel Ironside on 15 January 1843.

Parawhakaoho Pa (spelled on Heaphy's similar work in the British Library as Parawakao) was reportedly close to Collingwood (source of information unknown).

Heaphy's very similar portrait in the British Library is dated 1844, so it seems likely that the work depicts the subject in about 1844, despite the date of 1848. In addition, Heaphy had land in the Motueka area, relatively close to Golden Bay, between December 1842 and 1845. However, in early 1848 he worked to re-establish the boundaries of native reserves allocated at Motueka and Golden Bay and may have met Meri Wikitoria a second time, making a copy of his earlier portrait.

Title transcribed from item.

Inscriptions: Recto - bottom left - Charles Heaphy / 1848

This portrait is very similar to another in the British Library Add MS 19954, Folio 58 (68), titled "Meri Wikitoria [Meri Makarini] (a half cast) of Parawakao, Massacre Bay".

Quantity: 1 watercolour(s).

Physical Description: Watercolour, 365 x 288 mm.

Provenance: Previously from the collection of Sir James and Lady Fletcher who purchased it from John Leech Gallery in 2005. Previously owned by a Paris dealer, who acquired this work and four others by Heaphy and Francis Dillon Bell at a French country sale. Possibly originally owned by Francis Dillon Bell. The Library has acquired three other works from the collection, purchased 2006 and 2014, reference numbers C-025-025, C-173-001 and C-173-002. The 5th work, a panorama of New Plymouth by Bell is in Puke Ariki.

Processing information: Description updated 30 August 2023 following information provided by a staff member.