NZ buyer for $1m Gottfried Lindauer painting of Waimārama chief Harawira Te Mahikai
According to records kept by the National Library of New Zealand, Harawira Te Mahikai was of Ngāti Kahungunu iwi and was the last tattooed chief of Waimārama when he died in 1886.
The portrait of Harawira Te Mahikai was painted in 1883 by Lindauer, a New Zealand artist from Bohemia, who became famous for his portraits of Māori people. The painting was understood to have been gifted to Lindauer’s son Hector on his 21st birthday.
The portrait had been sold and kept in a private collection in Auckland until it was sold at auction through the International Art Centre on Thursday. Richard Thomson, the director of the International Art Centre, said the final bid under the hammer was $840,000 and the final sale price was $1,009,008 after GST.
The estimated price before the auction was $550,000 to $850,000.
“It was a good result for sure, a record price for Lindauer,” Thomson said.
According to the International Art Centre, the previous record price for a Lindauer painting was $307,425 after GST for the 1888 painting Girl with Gourd, sold at the International Art Centre last August.
Auctions