Rare antique lithograph of Maori Chieftainess Ena te Papatahi by Charles CF Goldie c 1900s-1910s. New Zealand.

Today we have a rare antique lithograph by noted New Zealand artist Charles Goldie circa 1900s to 1910s. His original paintings command some of the highest prices for New Zealand paintings sold at auction. This particular print titled ‘Ena te Papatahi', after its subject, is one of his most notable works, and the original currently hangs in the Christchurch Art Gallery.

New Zealand’s “Old Master”, as he is affectionately known, was known for his meticulous, almost photorealistic detail. He would depict his subjects, who were prominent Maori chieftains and chieftainesses with such verisimilitude that the 1987 Te Maori exhibition “was a much-anticipated event of deep cultural and political importance” for many Maori. “To them, the act of hanging the portraits turned the gallery into a marae, a place where one could tangibly encounter many of the great figures of 19th-century Maoridom.” His 1941 oil portrait of Wharekauri Tahuna was the first painting in New Zealand history to break the $1 million mark, reaching a top price of $1.175 million. 

A biography of Ena te Papatahi, who was a Ngāpuhi chieftainess from the Christchurch Art Gallery is as follows: 

Ina te Papatahi lived at the Waipapa Māori hostel in Mechanics Bay, Tāmakimakaurau / Auckland, not far from Charles Goldie’s Hobson Street studio. She sat for him many times, the first time in 1902. The niece of prominent Ngāpuhi rangatira (chiefs) Eruera Maihi Patuone and Tāmati Waka Nene, both signatories of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, she was well-connected and introduced Goldie to many other Māori who agreed to sit for him. Ina te Papatahi was later remembered by Goldie’s friend, the writer and historian James Cowan, for her “very likeable nature”, “keen sense of humour” and the “great interest [she took] in the painting of her portrait”.

A stunning, highly collectible art with immense cultural value and heritage.

Price marked at $480 AUD.

Measurements: 34 x 47 cm. Framed measurements 39 by 48.5 cm. Signed CF Goldie, Auckland. 

Print is in very good antique condition. Original frame was repainted to fit midcentury sensibilities; this could be restored or reframed as one sees fit. 

References:

https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/collection/69-78/charles-frederick-goldie/ina-te-papatahi-a-ngapuhi-chieftainess

https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/c-f-goldie-the-old-master-revisited/

https://www.internationalartcentre.co.nz/auctions/catalogue/201709/PP37591/Ina-te-Papatahi