Lot Essay
After studying at the Slade, and the Académie Julian in Paris, Studd emerged as a close disciple of Whistler and Gauguin and he followed the latter to Tahiti in 1897. He visited Gauguin at Papeete before moving on to New Zealand to meet up with his brother Reginald with whom he made an extended return trip to London via the islands of the South Seas. The present picture dates to his visit to the Samoan islands in 1898 and depicts a 'Taupo' or 'taupou', the title given to the daughter of a Samoan tribal chief, meaning 'ceremonial virgin'.