A piece of art history has now found its rightful home in Taupō. The 1889 work by Charles Decimus Barraud (1822-1897) depicting Lake Taupō was due to go under the hammer at Cordy's auction house in Auckland when it was spotted by long-time local resident and former deputy mayor Christine McElwee.
Taupō District Council was fortunate enough to be able to gain the financial support of the Friends of the Museum who recognised the importance of the painting and so, together with funds from a bequest from the estate of Trevor Hosking, the painting was successfully purchased, and will now be displayed in Taupō Museum.
Library and museum manager Luisa Haines said the painting was a valuable addition to the collection.
"Barraud's landscape paintings provide a record of early New Zealand scenes and are considered of important heritage value. Hopefully we will see more joint efforts like this in the future that add other significant works to the collection."
The newly acquired painting will join another of Barraud's works in the museum, though staff are not yet sure of just where it will be hung.
Mayor David Trewavas said the painting offered an important glimpse into the past and was a valuable addition to the museum's collection.
"It's fantastic to see this painting of our river, lake and mountains find a good home here in Taupō, and it's also great to see how the community came together, at really short notice, to purchase it for the district."
