1780s
Oil on canvas, 45 x 60 cm
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
The painting refers to James Cook's voyage to Hawaii in 1779. To the right the 'Resolution' and the 'Discovery' are at anchor in Kealakekua Bay, 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.
