![After John VERELST (1648-1734), Johann Jakob KLEINSCHMIDT (1639-1715), engraver. Tomo Chachi Mico, oder König Von Yamacran, und Tooanahowi Seines Bruders des Mico oder Königes Von Etichitas Sohn. nach dem Londishen Original... Augsburg, [c. 1734].](https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_18947_0292_000(after_john_verelst_johann_jakob_kleinschmidt_engraver_tomo_chachi_mico121916).jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
After John VERELST (1648-1734), Johann Jakob KLEINSCHMIDT (1639-1715), engraver. Tomo Chachi Mico, oder König Von Yamacran, und Tooanahowi Seines Bruders des Mico oder Königes Von Etichitas Sohn. nach dem Londishen Original... Augsburg, [c. 1734].
A portrait Tomochachi (c. 1644 - 1739) and his nephew Toonahowi on their 1734 visit to London with James Oglethorpe. Exiled from the Creek nation for reasons unknown in the early eighteenth century, Tomochachi settled with a band of Creek and Yamasee on the bluffs of the Savannah River in the late 1720s. Seeing additional trade opportunities with the arrival of Oglethorpe in 1733, he allowed for the settlement of Savannah and allied himself with the colonists. The following year, Tomochachi, with several members of his family, accompanied Oglethorpe to London for an audience with George II and an interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury. While Oglethorpe hoped the visit would prove a means of intimidation in the face of British power and grandeur, Tomochichi came set to negotiate an agenda to present to Georgia’s trustees, including a demand for a Western education for his people and assurances of justice for unfair practices committed by colonial traders. His deft negotiating skills won him the respect of the colony’s trustees, and his success won him greater prestige at home and in turn helped Georgia gain additional native allies. (Julie Anne Sweet, “Bearing Feathers of the Eagle: Tomochichi’s Trip to England,” The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Vol. 86, No. 3 (Fall 2002), pp. 339-371). Like the “four Indian Kings” who visited Queen Anne’s court in 1710, Tomochachi also became the subject of painter John Verelst who, unlike the Mohawk and Machcan diplomats clad who he presented European finery (see lot 291), chose to portray the Creek exile and his nephew Toonahowi (holding a bald eagle) clad in deerskin standing in a dense, primeval forest. John Farber issued a mezzotint of Verlest’s portrait in 1734, and it is likely that Kleinschmidt in Augsburg would have quickly issued his version to meet demand.
Engraving. Plate. 7 3/4 x 5 7/8 in (197 x 150mm), sheet 10. 3/4 x 7 5/8 in (272 x 194mm) Hinged at top margin, (small chip at upper right not affecting image, old hinges affixed on verso at top corners, mild creases). Matted and framed.
A portrait Tomochachi (c. 1644 - 1739) and his nephew Toonahowi on their 1734 visit to London with James Oglethorpe. Exiled from the Creek nation for reasons unknown in the early eighteenth century, Tomochachi settled with a band of Creek and Yamasee on the bluffs of the Savannah River in the late 1720s. Seeing additional trade opportunities with the arrival of Oglethorpe in 1733, he allowed for the settlement of Savannah and allied himself with the colonists. The following year, Tomochachi, with several members of his family, accompanied Oglethorpe to London for an audience with George II and an interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury. While Oglethorpe hoped the visit would prove a means of intimidation in the face of British power and grandeur, Tomochichi came set to negotiate an agenda to present to Georgia’s trustees, including a demand for a Western education for his people and assurances of justice for unfair practices committed by colonial traders. His deft negotiating skills won him the respect of the colony’s trustees, and his success won him greater prestige at home and in turn helped Georgia gain additional native allies. (Julie Anne Sweet, “Bearing Feathers of the Eagle: Tomochichi’s Trip to England,” The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Vol. 86, No. 3 (Fall 2002), pp. 339-371). Like the “four Indian Kings” who visited Queen Anne’s court in 1710, Tomochachi also became the subject of painter John Verelst who, unlike the Mohawk and Machcan diplomats clad who he presented European finery (see lot 291), chose to portray the Creek exile and his nephew Toonahowi (holding a bald eagle) clad in deerskin standing in a dense, primeval forest. John Farber issued a mezzotint of Verlest’s portrait in 1734, and it is likely that Kleinschmidt in Augsburg would have quickly issued his version to meet demand.
Engraving. Plate. 7 3/4 x 5 7/8 in (197 x 150mm), sheet 10. 3/4 x 7 5/8 in (272 x 194mm) Hinged at top margin, (small chip at upper right not affecting image, old hinges affixed on verso at top corners, mild creases). Matted and framed.