A view of Funchal, Madeira, from the sea

Framed pen and ink drawing. This large panoramic view - just over five feet across on three sheets of paper pasted together - is similar to the equally large ones of islands and coastal scenes in the Pacific that Hodges made for the Admiralty during Cook's second voyage, 1772-75, now mostly in the British Library. A more compressed engraving from it was published by A. McKenzie, Berwick Street, London, in November 1787 and Hodges also painted a compressed and dark-toned large oil version (698 x 915mm) which was last sold at Christie's, London, as lot 62 in their 'Topographical Pictures' sale of 29 October 2019. (With other Pacific and Indian oils by Hodges in that sale, and a version of Webber's 1776 portrait of Cook, it was then ex-collection of the late Richard Kelton, USA). These Funchal views, and two oils and an engraving of Cape Town and Table Mountain, seen from the south end of Table Bay, derive from Hodges' visits to both places as ports of call during his voyage home from India in 1784, in the Indiaman 'Worcester', after the six years he spent working there (from 1778). They are illustrated (B&W) and listed in the 'Miscellaneous' section of Joppien & Smith, 'The Art of Captain Cook's Voyages', (1985) Vol. II, pp.253-55. [PvdM 5/24]

Object Details

ID: PAJ2747
Type: Drawing
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Hodges, William
Date made: 1784; 1794
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. Presented by Archdeacon F. H. D. Smythe through The Art Fund
Measurements: Frame: 510 mm x 1650 mm x 30 mm;Image: 440 x 1580 mm