‘Captain’ Coba (or Kobé), a chief of the Gqunukhwebe tribe, wearing the grenadiers helmet given him by Robert Jacob Gordon

‘Captain’ Coba (or Kobé), a chief of the Gqunukhwebe tribe, wearing the grenadiers helmet given him by Robert Jacob Gordon

RP-T-1914-17-75

Stamhoofd Coba (Kobe) met de grenadiersmuts die hem door Gordon op 5 december 1777 werd geschonken, zijn schild en assegaaien.

annotation, within image and lower margin, handwritten in brown ink: ‘Ik had hem die muts vereert / Dese Caffers hieten Sig Selven Cosaas, of Amma Cosa / Coba Caffer Captein, Ses voet lang / en git Swart, met sijn Schild; en Assagaijen’ hand of resp. Gordon; Sch; Gordon en Sch

draftsman (artist): Robert Jacob Gordon, Great Fish River (South Africa)

1777-12-11

pen en penseel in inkt, penseel in waterverf in kleuren, over potlood of zwart krijt, enigszins gehoogd met wit, dubbele kaderlijnen rondom, opgeplakt, penseel in dekverf

• height 660 mm x width 480 mm
• height 376 mm x width 241 mm
• height 350 mm x width 227 mm

Gordon gave the helmet to Coba on 5th December, and records having this drawing made on 11th December, plus one of himself which he gave to Coba.

Purchased with the support of private collectors

purchase 1914

Public domain

• J. Peires, 'The other side of the black silk handkerchief : the Van Plettenberg agreement of 1778', Quarterly Bulletin of the National Library of South Africa 62, nr. 1 (2008), p. 9 e.v. met afb.
• Afb. op www.uct.ac.za/depts/age/people/Gordon, als: Chief Coba or Kobe, wearing a grenadier’s cap, a gift from Gordon.

To refer to this object, please use the following persistent URL:

https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200474651