Story: European ideas about Māori

Death of Marion du Fresne

Death of Marion du Fresne

When the French navigator Marc Joseph Marion du Fresne stopped in the Bay of Islands in 1772 a series of misunderstandings led to violence. Marion du Fresne and 24 of his crew were killed. The survivors took retribution on the locals, and the incident helped establish a view that Māori were treacherous 'savages'. This romanticised depiction of Marion du Fresne's killing was drawn by the French artist Charles Meryon, who spent time in New Zealand in the 1840s.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: G-824-3
Crayon, pencil and chalk by Charles Meryon

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

James Belich, 'European ideas about Māori - Explorers and Māori to 1800', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/29871/death-of-marion-du-fresne (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by James Belich, published 5 May 2011