A painting by the renowned painter Charles Goldie is up for auction for the first time, after hanging unknown to the art world for 100 years.
The portrait of Ahinata Te Rangituatini, also known as Kapi Kapi, dating back to 1918. Photo: Supplied / International Arts Centre
The International Art Centre in Auckland will put three of the artist's works under the hammer on Tuesday alongside many other rare pieces by artists such as Don Binney, Gottfried Lindauer and Colin McCahon.
One of those is a portrait of Ahinata Te Rangituatini, also known as Kapi Kapi, dating back to 1918.
"We didn't know about this one," the centre's director Richard Thomson said.
"This one is a known sitter of Goldie, a very well known sitter. She was an Arawa chieftainess from Rotorua ... and she was 102 years old when this was painted.
"Goldie is known to have painted her up to 22 times but obviously this is the 23rd version that we were unaware of. She was a survivor of the Tarawera eruption, we know a lot about Kapi Kapi and of course there's a lot of recorded information on her but it's just the painting we didn't know existed."
He said he had sold two other Goldies for the family but the latest painting had never been mentioned.
"That makes it extra special that they've just kept it away. It really is lovely that it comes on the market 100 years later and is appropriately titled 'After 100 years'."
The programme estimated it would go for between $180,000-$260,000, but he said that would depend on how many interested people turned up.
"Someone could snap it up for $175,000 and they'd be laughing all the way to the bank but I'd be very surprised. It wouldn't surprise me if it went beyond $300,000. We've sold similar ones for well beyond that.
Last year, the centre sold a 1941 Goldie painting for $1.4 million at auction.