Skip to main content

Sacrifice of the first-born

Sacrifice of the first-born
Artist
Theodor de Bry, 1528 - 1598
Copy after
Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues, c. 1533 - 1588
Sitter
Olata Ouae Utina, 1539 - ?
René de Laudonnière, c. 1529 - 1582
Date
1591
Type
Print
Medium
Hand-colored engraving
Dimensions
Image: 15 × 21.1 cm (5 7/8 × 8 5/16")
Sheet: 31.4 × 22.5 cm (12 3/8 × 8 7/8")
Topic
Costume\Headgear\Headdress
Costume\Headgear\Hat
Weapon\Gun\Rifle
Costume\Jewelry\Necklace\Bead
Weapon\Sword
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Bench
Costume\Dress Accessory\Feather
Illustration
René de Laudonnière: Male
René de Laudonnière: Natural Resource Occupations\Explorer
Olata Ouae Utina: Male
Olata Ouae Utina: Literature\Writer
Portrait
Place
United States\Florida
Deutschland\Hessen\Darmstadt\Frankfurt am Main
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.2018.58
Exhibition Label
Olata Ouae Utina was chief of the Timucua Indigenous people, who lived along the St. Johns River in what is now northeastern Florida. In 1564, Utina established an alliance with the French explorer René de Laudonnière in exchange for military assistance. Firearms provided by the French enabled Utina to wage devastating battles against his enemies, the Potano people.
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. De Bry emphasized manners and customs that would strike Europeans as unusual. Here, he represents Utina seated beside Laudonnière, explaining the ceremony that unfolds in the distance, where a ring of dancing women surrounds a grief-stricken mother, whose infant son is being offered as a human sacrifice.
Olata Ouae Utina era jefe del pueblo indígena timucua, que vivía a lo largo del río St. Johns en lo que es hoy el noreste de Florida. En 1564 hizo una alianza con el explorador francés René de Laudonnière a cambio de ayuda militar. Las armas de fuego provistas por los franceses permitieron a Utina librar batallas devastadoras contra sus enemigos, el pueblo potano.
Este grabado se realizó para un ambicioso relato de viajes ilustrado, publicado en Frankfurt, Alemania, en 1591. El artista, Theodor de Bry, nunca visitó Norteamérica y basó sus ilustraciones en dibujos y relatos de la expedición de Laudonnière, enfatizando los modos y costumbres que les parecerían inusuales a los europeos. Aquí presenta a Utina sentado junto a Laudonnière, explicando la ceremonia que se desarrolla en la distancia, donde un coro de mujeres danzantes rodea a una madre desolada cuyo bebé se ofrece como sacrificio humano.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view