Hand coloured portrait of the Port Jackson warrior Cour-rou-bari-gal after the original by Nicolas Martin Petit

Portrait of the Port Jackson warrior Cour-rou-bari-gal after the original by Nicolas-Martin Petit.

The original drawing is inscribed with the sitter’s name as “Morore” though this was changed to Cour-rou-bari-gal on the engraved plates, as here.

The 2006 “Eora” exhibition at the State Library of New South Wales noted that the apparent name of this warrior may in fact be a simple misapprehension on the part of Petit.

The catalogue notes: ‘An Aboriginal man, with his long hair wrapped in paperback strips, told Nicolas-Martin Petit (the French artist who sketched him) that his name was ‘Cour-rou-bari-gal’. As Booragy or Búrroggy was the Aboriginal name for Bradleys Head, it is likely that he replied to the artist’s question “What is your name?” with kuri (man) and Boregegal (Bradleys Head Clan)’.

Taken from the first edition of the Baudin account.