RIHA Journal 0190 | 20 July 2018 Māori and Portraiture Roger Blackley Abstract Gottfried Lindauer’s Māori portraiture o ers a distin!tive exa$ple of a %i!ultural artisti! pra!ti!e in nineteent&'!entury (e) *ealand+ one servin, %ot& -uropean and indi,enous patrona,e to a de,ree t&at is unparalleled in ot&er .ritis& settler so!ieties/ 0&is essay pla!es t&e exa$ple of Lindauer into a wider !ontext of Māori ent&usias$ for and en,a,e$ent wit& t&e ,enre of portraiture+ ran,in, fro$ t&e voya,in, artists of t&e pre!olonial period to t&e e$er,en!e of t&e ‘et&nolo,i!al’ portrait in t&e later nineteent& !entury/ In !&artin, t&e evol"in, relations&ips between su%2e!ts, artists+ p&oto,rap&ers and colle!tors+ w&at do we learn a%out Māori attitudes to portraiture3 Contents Māori and Portrait Patrona,e -uropean ‘Conta!t’ 6anderin, Artists Indi,enous Response Gottfried Lindauer (ew Zealand Di eren!e3 Māori and 4ortrait 4atrona,e 819 4ortraiture was !entral to !usto$ary Māori !ulture: !arved e;,ies $e$orialised an!estors and &eroes+ )&ile s$o<ed'dried &u$an &eads for$ed portrait !olle!tions fro$ re!ent ,enerations for t&e %ene=t of t&e livin,/1 >nsurprisin,ly, t&e vivid and life'li<e realisations of -uropean portraiture found ready a!!eptan!e )it&in t&e Māori world/ In t&e Gottfried Lindauer !atalo,ue produ!ed for t&e e#&i%ition at .erlin’s Alte (ational,alerie in 2014, I su,,ested t&at (e) *ealand see$ed to %e e#!eptional a$on, t&e .ritis& settler !olonies in t&e de,ree to )&i!& -uropean artists @ and Lindauer in parti!ular @ were supported %y indi,enous patrona,e/2 0&e a!!ulturation into portraiture %e,an in earnest )it& t&e rise of p&oto,rap&y and t&e Māori patrona,e of studio p&oto,rap&ers+ $any of )&o$ su%seAuently exploited t&e reprodu!tive potential in&erent in t&e $ediu$/ 0&is p&oto,rap&i! p&eno$enon is paralleled in a ,reat 1 Bee 4aul 0apsell+ CBer"i!e after Deat&: 0&e Art of Māori Leaders&ip in Marae 5onte#ts”+ in: -rin Gri ey et al/+ 0&e 4o)er of 4ortraiture: Representin, Leadership in (e) *ealand fro$ 18?0 to t&e 4resent+ e#&/ cat/+ Auckland 2008+ 18'E1/ 2 Ro,er .la!<ley+ CGottfried Lindauer: A 5areer in (e) *ealandD+ in: Gottfried Lindauer: Die Māori'4ortraits+ eds. >do Fittel$ann and .ritta B!&$itG+ e#&/ cat/+ 5olo,ne 201?+ 21E-21H/ RIHA Journal 0190 | 20 July 2018 $any !olonial !ontexts+ )&ere indi,enous ‘types’ represented a salea%le !o$$odity t&at furnis&ed $aterial %ot& for tourist al%u$s and t&e et&no,rap&i! p&oto,rap& colle!tions a$assed by museu$s and li%raries around t&e world/ 829 0&e distin!tive aspe!t of t&e (e) *ealand situation lay in t&e e$er,en!e+ durin, t&e 1870s and 1880s+ of t&e life'siGed oil portrait as a status sym%ol in t&e Māori world+ )&en Māori !lients patronised t&ose sa$e artists )&o were produ!in, portraits for -uropean settlers/ 5onte$porary !olonial !ontexts t&at reveal -uropean artists wor<in, for indi,enous patrons in!lude Hawai’i+ )&ere t&e Fa$e&a$e&a dynasty avidly !o$$issioned oil portraits of t&e Hawaiian elite )&o are usually s&own in -uropean re,alia/E 6&at is re$ar<a%le in t&e (e) *ealand !ontext+ &owe"er+ is t&e %readt& and also t&e s&eer extent of t&e Māori en,a,e$ent )it& portraiture+ as )ell as &o) @ on t&e deat& of t&eir su%2e!ts @ t&ese paintin,s not only perfor$ed si,ni=!ant roles in funeral !ere$onies %ut pro!eeded to !lai$ a pla!e )it&in t&e !o$$unal $eetin, &ouse+ alon,side t&e !arved an!estors of !usto$ary Māori art/ 6&ile &ybrid -uropean and Māori 1%est’ !ostu$e $a<es appearan!e in $any of t&ese wor<s+ it is notewort&y t&at a ,ood $any Māori'!o$$issioned portraits present t&eir su%2e!ts in t&e identi!al <ind of for$al attire t&at was e$ployed %y settlers )&en t&ey !o$$issioned portraits fro$ t&ese sa$e artists/ 8E9 4āora 0I&aere+ t&e leadin, !&ief of (,āti 6&ātua of Au!<land+ !&ose to &ave &i$self depi!ted in for$al -uropean attire of t&e type t&at &e wore )&en in"ited to an i$portant en,a,e$ent in town/ At 0I&aere’s tan,i @ &is funeral !ere$ony @ it was reported t&at CJver t&e &ead of t&e !o;n was suspended a lar,e and lifeli<e portrait of &i$self+ surrounded %y a $assive ,ilt fra$e 8K9D/? 0&is $ust &ave %een t&e portrait fro$ 1878 t&at is no) &eld %y t&e Au!<land Art Gallery L=,. 1). E Bee Da"id 6/ Nor%es, -n!ounters )it& 4aradise: Oie)s of Ha)aii and its 4eople+ 1HH8' 19?1+ Honolulu 1992/ ? C0&e Late 4aora 0u&aereD+ in: (e) *ealand Herald+ 1P Mar!& 1892+ Q/ RIHA Journal 0190 | 20 July 2018 1 Gottfried Lindauer+ 4aora 0u&aere+ 18H8+ oil on can"as, 82+8 # Q9+Q !$/ Gift of Mrs -$$a Bloane+ 19E?+ Auckland Art Gallery 0oi o Tā$aki (reprod/ fro$: Gottfried Lindauer: Die Māori'4ortraits+ eds. >do Fittel$ann and .ritta B!&$itG+ e#&/ cat/+ 5olo,ne 201?+ ?EM It !ould not &ave %een t&e ot&er portrait of 0I&aere in t&e Gallery’s !olle!tion L=,/ 2), )&i!& was !o$$issioned fro$ Lindauer %y t&e Au!<land !olle!tor Henry 4artrid,e in 1895 — t&at is, t&ree years after TI&aere’s deat&/ 2 Gottfried Lindauer+ 4aora 0u&aere+ 189P+ oil on can"as, 8E+E # H1+H !$/ Gift of Mr H/ -/ 4artrid,e+ 191P+ Auckland Art Gallery 0oi o Tā$aki (reprod/ fro$: Gottfried Lindauer: Die Māori'4ortraits+ eds. Fittel$ann and B!&$itG+ [n/ p/9 119M 8?9 It was t&is later version t&at was displayed in .erlin+ )&ere t&e %ul< of t&e wor<s was drawn fro$ t&e 4artrid,e 5olle!tion+ )&ile t&e earlier portrait of t&e RIHA Journal 0190 | 20 July 2018 !&ief re$ained at &o$e/ 0&is see$ed a pity, %e!ause to,et&er t&ese two wor<s o er a tellin, opposition @ %etween t&e suavely dressed !&ief+ depi!ted fro$ life+ and &is post&u$ous rendition in pi!turesAue Māori ,ar% t&at+ so$e)&at ironi!ally, was itself based on a p&oto,rap& of 0I&aere in a fas&iona%le -uropean suit/ 6&ile t&ere were se"eral suit')earin, Māori politi!ians in wor<s displayed at t&e .erlin e#&i%ition+ as well as two das&in, !olla%orationist $ilitary leaders )&o appeared in unifor$+ 4artrid,e’s !lear preferen!e was t&at &is ,allery of Māori !ele%rities s&ould appear in traditional dress @ t&at is+ !ere$onial Māori !ostu$e/ As )e s&all see+ an i$portant part of t&is story relates to &o)+ )&en t&ey in&a%ited t&e 4ā<e&ā or settler world+ Māori portraits &eld di erent $eanin,s and served di erent ends fro$ super=!ially si$ilar wor<s in Māori owners&ip/ 8P9 In t&is essay I o er a %rief and ne!essarily partial overvie) of Māori en,a,e$ent wit& -uropean portraiture+ ran,in, fro$ t&e earliest wor< %y artists on t&e late'ei,&teent&'!entury voya,in, expeditions t&rou,& to t&e period of or,anised !olonisation t&at !o$$en!ed in t&e $id'nineteent& !entury/ 6e will <eep in $ind t&e Māori e#perien!e of t&e ,enre @ )&at it $i,&t &a"e $eant to see su!& depi!tions+ to %e depi!ted+ e"en in so$e !ases to possess a depi!tion/ 0o &i,&li,&t t&e diversity in Māori attitudes to)ards portraiture+ as well as t&e in!reasin, %urden pla!ed on Māori to su%$it to depi!tion+ we )ill exa$ine t&e opposin, stan!es ta<en %y two i$portant ‘re%el’ leaders of t&e later nineteent& !entury @ 0e 6&iti'o'Ron,o$ai+ t&e pa!i=st 14rop&et of 4ari&a<a’, and 0ā)&iao Matutaera 0e 6&ero)&ero+ t&e se!ond Māori Kin,/ 0&en+ $ovin, to !onsider several paintin,s %y Lindauer+ we )ill ponder t&e !ate,orisations t&at $i,&t %e appli!a%le to &is wor</ 7o t&e paintin,s !o$$issioned %y Māori !lients ri,&tfully %elon, in t&e real$ of et&no,rap&y, alon,side wor<s %y t&e travellin, -uropean artists3 Are t&ere si,ni=!ant di eren!es %etween t&e Maori'!o$$issioned portraits and t&ose produ!ed for 4ā<e&ā !olle!tors su!& as 4artrid,e3 And if so+ $i,&t t&ese latter wor<s produ!ed for non'Māori purposes %e $ore appropriately desi,nated ‘et&nolo,i!al’, ,iven t&at t&ey are !&ar,ed wit& servin, a $ore !o$ple# role t&an $ere individual portraiture3 As )e s&all see+ t&ese !ate,ories are unsta%le and lar,ely dependent on !ontexts of owners&ip and display/ 0o !on!lude+ I )ill return to $y !lai$ t&at t&e %i!ultural patrona,e of Māori portraiture in (e) *ealand o ers a point of di eren!e wit&in t&e art &istory of t&e Britis& settler colonies/ European 15onta!t’ 8Q9 0&e story %e,ins in 1769, wit& t&e $o$entous intera!tion %etween a .ritis& naval expedition led %y 5aptain Ja$es 5oo<+ and t&e (e) *ealanders @ a (eolit&i! people in )&ose lan,ua,e 1$āori’ si$ply $eant ordinary, e"eryday, nor$al.