Unidentified Native American Woman (Wife of Utina) Search this
Medium:
Hand-colored engraving on paper
Dimensions:
Image: 15 × 21.1 cm (5 7/8 × 8 5/16")
Sheet: 31.4 × 22.5 cm (12 3/8 × 8 7/8")
Type:
Print
Place:
United States\Florida
Deutschland\Hessen\Darmstadt\Frankfurt am Main
Date:
1591
Exhibition Label:
Birthplace unknown
French Huguenot explorers led by René de Laudonnière arrived in what is now northeastern Florida in 1564 to establish the colony of Fort Caroline along the St. Johns River. They established alliances with the local Timucua Indigenous people, providing military assistance in their battles against rivals in exchange for provisions and territorial access.
This engraving was produced for an ambitious illustrated travel account, published in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1591. The artist, Theodor de Bry, never visited North America and based his illustrations on drawings and accounts from Laudonnière’s expedition. This page purports to show a Timucua “king,” probably Olata Ouae Utina, welcoming his new “queen,” seated beside him on a large platform, as a ring of women dance before them. De Bry’s text and image presents the ceremony in a royal context that would have been familiar to Europeans, while emphasizing manners and customs that would strike them as unusual.
Lugar de nacimiento desconocido
Los exploradores hugonotes franceses dirigidos por René de Laudonnière llegaron a lo que es hoy el noreste de Florida en 1564 para fundar la colonia de Fort Caroline, a orillas del río St. Johns. Hicieron alianzas con el pueblo indígena timucua, que habitaba la región, y le dieron apoyo militar contra sus rivales a cambio de provisiones y acceso territorial.
Este grabado, hecho para un ambicioso relato de viajes ilustrado, se publicó en Fráncfort, Alemania, en 1591. El artista, Theodor de Bry, nunca visitó Norteamérica y se basó en dibujos y relatos de la expedición de Laudonnière. Esta página describe a un “rey” timucua, probablemente Olata Ouae Utina, recibiendo a su nueva “reina”, sentada a su lado en una gran plataforma mientras un círculo de mujeres baila ante ambos. El texto y la imagen presentan la escena en un contexto de realeza que habría sido familiar para los europeos, a la vez que se destacan costumbres que les parecerían inusuales.
