拍品專文
The inscription suggests the present watercolour dates to the late eighteenth century ('On remarquera que le manuscrit [Diderot's Supplément au Voyage de Bougainville] donne de façon constante la graphie Otaïti au lieu de Taïti qui est la forme adoptée par Bougainville et probablement par Diderot lui-même, au moins à l'origine. Dès la traduction des premiers voyages anglais, cependant, la forme Otaïti ou Otahiti, transcription de O. Taheetee est communément adoptée en France et prévaut encore à la fin du XIIIe siècle.' (G. Chinard, Diderot, Supplément au Voyage de Bougainville, Paris, 1935, p. 9 (note sur le texte)).
Tahiti was discovered by Wallis in the Dolphin in 1767 and Bougainville in La Boudeuse visited briefly the following year, to be followed by Cook in the Endeavour in April 1769. The present watercolour appears to be of the inventive genre produced to illustrate early accounts of voyages such as J.P. Bérenger's Collection de tous les voyages.
Tahiti was discovered by Wallis in the Dolphin in 1767 and Bougainville in La Boudeuse visited briefly the following year, to be followed by Cook in the Endeavour in April 1769. The present watercolour appears to be of the inventive genre produced to illustrate early accounts of voyages such as J.P. Bérenger's Collection de tous les voyages.