"Pihanga"
Production date
Circa 1865-Circa 1885
Description
View of Pihanga Redoubt, constructed on Te Pihanga pā, in Urenui. The redoubt, a four-sided structure with steep sides and an entrance in the centre at the front, sits in the centre of the scene. There is a flagpole with a red flag standing from the top of the redoubt, and the rooftops of buildings (posslbly the garrison quaters) sit just above the top of the redoubt on the right.
There is a river running immediately to the left of the redoubt, which has a small building alongside it. In the foreground, a low fence and path separates the green space in front of the redoubt from a bare open space with four buildings. One building is on the far left alongside the fence line, and the other three are in the immediate foreground. These may be Māori dwellings. All of these buildings take the same basic shape, with a rectangular base topped by a gable roof.
In the backgrount on the left there is a tall structure with a steeply pitched roof and flat land, low trees and mountains behind. In the background on the right are several tall trees.
There are several people depicted in the image. One is a soldier in a blue jacket standing at the entrance to the redoubt. In front of the redoubt on the right is another person, presumably a soldier, wearing red. A group of three people are sitting near the fence weaving - two are women wearing red dresses, and another woman is standing wearing a green dress with a large yellow shawl or blanket wrapped around her top half. To the right of this group are two smaller figures wearing light outfits and holding what may be swords. They are possibly children.
The scene is painted in muted tones, with the landscape predominately in shades of green while the redoubt is brown. It has been painted in an amateur style, with little detail and the use of short irregular lines to depict the architecture and expressive brushstrokes and dabs to depict the figures and greenery.
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