A painting by pioneer New Zealand artist Charles Frederick Goldie, which he considered one of his best and one of his personal favourites, is expected to fetch between $1.5-2.5 million at an art auction in Auckland next month (April 5).
It is believed Goldie began painting Maori chief Kamariera Te Hau Takiri Wharepapa in his Auckland studio in 1907 and completed it in 1931. Kamariera Te Hau Takiri Wharepapa was an iwi chief, orator, and thinker, who was part of a group of Maori that travelled to England in 1862 and met Queen Victoria.
On April 5, the artwork will be auctioned at the International Art Centre in Auckland as part of an important and rare art sale. It will be accompanied by authenticity documents, including a letter from Goldie's late wife, Olive, verifying it is her late husband's work, as well as a handwritten note from Goldie saying it was one of his favourites.
The oil on canvas is considered a Goldie masterpiece, according to International Art Centre director Richard Thomson, and has never been shown in public or offered for sale.
Olive Goldie sold the picture in 1957, 10 years after he died of lead poisoning. It made its way to Melbourne, then to London, where it stayed in private hands.
Marlotte, Paris, 1894, a Goldie oil painting of a Paris street from the collection of New Zealand opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, will also be auctioned. It's projected to fetch around $250,000.
A previously undiscovered watercolour by Frances Hodgkins, bought in the 1940s at Lefevre Gallery in London, has also gained international attention. A private collection in England owns Side Entrance, which might fetch as much as $120,000.
House & Estuary, a work by Sir Peter Siddell, one of New Zealand's most well-known hyper-realist painters, is predicted to fetch $120,000. The painting was owned by the late Sir Wilson Whineray, a former All Black captain, and his wife Lady Elisabeth.
Still Life With Irises 1962, a rare still life painting by Sir Cedric Morris, is expected to fetch up to $200,000 at the auction.