New Zealand artist Charles Frederick Goldie's circa 1910 portrait of Rakapa, an Arawa chieftainess, will auction at Auckland's International Art Centre on July 31.
 Memories Rakapa An Arawa Chieftainess (above) has not appeared at auction since the 1940s |
Estimated to be worth $199,041, the oil on canvas is offered from the collection of late telecommunications magnate Eric Hertz, who died in a plane crash earlier this year.
Rakapa was born into the Otaki tribe then married into the Arawa tribe.
Goldie painted the chieftainess on at least five occasions.
Goldie lived in Aukland throughout his life and many of his subjects hail from New Zealand's Upper North Island tribes.
Aslant to this, during the 1980s, convicted art forger Karl Sim officially changed his name to Carl Feodor Goldie in order that he could legitimately sign his copies "C F Goldie". Sim's autobiography is entitled Good as Goldie.
In December 2006, Goldie's 1920 work The Last of the Cannibals sold for £52,000 ($79,748) at Bonhams London.
Sir Peter Siddell's 1978 acrylic on canvas A Portrait of Tony and Patsy is also to star at the forthcoming sale.
The suggestive tableau is thought to be worth $175,150.
Siddell famously said: "I like to achieve stillness in my paintings. It's something to do with wanting to freeze a moment in time and regain a bit of the past." Sentiments many collectors will be familiar with.
Antipodean art is tremendously popular at the moment.
In June, the Grundy art collection set a new benchmark in terms of auction sales, bringing an unprecedented $19.2m to Bonhams Sydney.
Here at Paul Fraser Collectibles we have a raft of art and photography treasures in stock.
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