Mount Egmont

Mount Egmont (now Taranaki), the isolated volcanic cone of the North Island's western coast, was one of the most visually distinctive landmarks in New Zealand — its perfect symmetrical form rising from a flat coastal plain in a manner reminiscent of Fuji. John Gully's 1886 view participates in the long tradition of depicting iconic mountain forms within the landscape documentary tradition, bringing to New Zealand's most recognizable peak the same careful topographic observation he applied to the South Island's fjords and rivers.

The mountain's perfect cone, when seen from the appropriate distance, creates a naturally compositional form — the symmetrical peak rising cleanly from the surrounding land. Gully frames the mountain within its coastal or farmland setting, the human scale elements at the base giving the mountain's height a reference point. His handling of the mountain's snow cap and the atmospheric gradation from the clear lower slopes to the peak are carefully observed.