Newspaper Article – Lindauer fight won by council

Lindauer fight won by council

The controversy over ownership of a Gottfried Lindauer portrait of a former Napier mayor has been settled out of court.

In the Napier court today Mr W. K. L. Dougall, SM, agreed to a consent order delivering possession of the $3000 portrait of Mr Samuel Carnell to the Napier City Council.

The police had applied to the court to determine ownership of the painting which was being contested by the council and a second-hand dealer, Noel Edward William King, trading as Kings for Things.

For the council Mr R. G. Gallen said the matter had already been settled and only a consent order was sought.

The painting is believed to have come into Mr King’s possession at the end of 1974 from a demolition contractor. After having (been) unrecognised for several months the painting was determined as a Lindauer by art experts and offered for auction.

Shortly before the auction in May last year the police seized the portrait after several people had told the council it belonged to the city.