page_title: Wilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius von Tilenau
section_title: Appointment in Moscow and role in Russian circumnavigation
hierarchical_section_title: Wilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius von Tilenau / Appointment in Moscow and role in Russian circumnavigation
caption_attribution_description: English: A native warrior of Nuku Hiva holding a spear and a hand fan by Wilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius von Tilenau.
context_page_description: Wilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius von Tilenau was a German naturalist and explorer, physician, draftsman and engraver. He was a member of the Order of St. Vladimir and of the Legion of Honour.
context_section_description: In 1803 he was appointed professor at Moscow University. He participated as a ship's doctor, marine biologist and expedition artist on the frigate Nadezhda in the first Russian circumnavigation of the globe during 1803-1806 under Adam Johann von Krusenstern. The Nadezhda departed from Kronstadt on the Baltic Sea, with Tlesius joining the expedition at Copenhagen; included among his baggage were a violin and viola, which he played on the voyage.  The Nadezhda sailed past the Canary Islands and Brazil, around Cape Horn and across the Pacific Ocean to Japan, stopping at the Marquesas and Hawaiian islands, and also at Kamchatka. After visiting Japan, the Nadezhda set off towards Alaska, then sailed past China to the Indian Ocean, around Africa and back to the Baltic. Tilesius made numerous sketches and watercolors during the trip, particularly after the official artist departed in Japan. Honors Tilesius received on his return included being made a knight in the Order of St. Vladimir, corresponding membership of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, and a lifetime pension of 300 rubles per year. His illustrated report on the expedition appeared in 1814. However, he did not win public recognition like his contemporary, Alexander von Humboldt.
caption: Tilesius's 1813 illustration, A warrior of Nuku Hiva with a spear and a hand fan (the expedition spent 12 days on Nuku Hiva[c])
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