Te Huriwa, Tohunga of Tuwharetoa
Maker
Thomas Ryan
Production date
Circa 1900
Description
This portrait of Te Huriwa, Tohunga (chief) of Tuwharetoa iwi of the central plateau shows the high ranking subject as a composed and noble figure. Painted in a style that is characterised by attention to detail and fine brushstrokes that reflects the artists art training in France.
Thomas Darby Ryan (1864–1927) was born in England. Arriving in New Zealand in 1865, Ryan was a keen sportsman touring Australia as an All Black in 1884. He studied at the Julian Academy in Paris where he met and befriended Charles F. Goldie. On his return to New Zealand, Ryan married Mary Faith Murray, daughter of Ngapuhi leader Kamareira Te Hautakiri Wharepapa. Mary would have a major role in Ryan's painting practice as a translator and facilitator. In the 1920s he moved to Great Barrier Island where he took up a farm. He passed away in 1927.
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Object detail
380 x 277mm (image)
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