Hidden Treasures With Betty Churcher -  Captain Cook's Tragic Death

The National Library of Australia is the country's largest reference library with over nine million items in its collection, including a surprising number of art works. Yet visitors to the Library glimpse only a fraction of the collection with many fragile items unable to be placed on permanent display.

Former director of the National Gallery of Australia, Betty Churcher, presents an insider's guide to some of the Library's art treasures, which are rarely on public display. From her unique vantage point, Churcher makes intriguing historical connections between paintings and engravings, photography, manuscripts and artefacts, illustrated journals and diaries.

These are fascinating tales about the creative process and the works themselves that offer a tantalising insight into Australia's culture and heritage.

Episode 6: Captain Cook's Tragic Death

Captain James Cook's untimely return to Hawaii in 1779, 10 days after he had left, ended with his violent death - the details of which are portrayed in numerous illustrations in the National Library collection. Many artists, including the official artist for the voyage, John Webber, recreated the scene in the years following Cook's death. Each artist portrayed a different view: Cook the white knight, Cook the peacemaker, Cook the leader of a military offensive. But, we know that Webber didn't witness the death so it seems likely that an engraving made from the drawings of D.P. Dodd and other witnesses are more likely to represent what really happened.