HEER LINDAUER.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 246, 28 October 1879, Page 4

HEER LINDAUER.

The "Lyttelton Timea" bu the following, relative to an artist well known in Nelson : — We have bad tbe pleasure of inspecting tha virions works of art in the possession of Herr Lindaaer, who is staying for a limited period in tbia city, and whose studio is in Mtthieaoo'a buildings, Cashel-sireet. This gentleman ia a portrait painter, aod one of no mean order. A member of the Academy of Artists at Vienna, he baa studied much in the "luooy •ooih" of Europe, and has familiarised himself with the effective treatment of warm flesh tones. It is in complexions of a pronounced type tbat he excels, and in which bis best examples will be found. In tbe Nortb Island Herr Linauer bas painted many portraits of notable Maoris, men and women, and all his examples are excellent. The fide'ity with which tbe details bave been worked oat have received the uonnqoalified approbation of critical Natives, wbo infallibly detected even the s.ighest possible variation in the curvature of a tattoo line, or of tbe ornamental patterns worked upon a mat. These pictures of celebrated Maoris Herr Lindaner intends Bending to England, where tbey are certain to command a large amount ef attention. Tbey witl prove of special interest aa a oolleotion, since io point of costume they folly Illustrate tne pact* anu present ot tne Native raoe. Ooe of the best of tbem is a portrait of «« Hori Ngakapa Whanaanga, paramount chief of ooe of tbe four domioant tribes of the Haoraki district." Tbe artist bas, in addition, achieved a bigh reputation during bis sojourn in New Zealand for the faithful portraits he bas produced of Europeans. Amongst thoee which bave beeo highly praised may be mentioned tbe Bey. Father Gario, and Mr Levien, late Mayor of JNelson. We were shown tho result of a "first silting "of Mr B. Wai toe, of tbis city, and tbe portrait promises to be an admirable one. Pictures of two of Mr Walton's daughters bave been completed, and may be seen at the shop of Messrs. Fisher and Soo, Hereford-street, where they have been suitably framed. Both these girl pictures are expressive and pleasing liknesses, showing a bigh degree of manipulative skill aod clever treatment of draperies. The beautifully moulded oval frames, it should be mentioned, are genuine specimens of local manufacture, the design for them haviog been furnished by Mr Walton himself. It may be of io teres t to give Ihe story of one of Herr Lindauer'a Maori poriraits, as related by a contemporary ;— « The dark beauty whose face has been flo well delineated, is a native of Wakapuaka, in the Province of Nelson, where she Btill lives, bot, since the occurrence bas been married to a wealthy and influential balf caste, named Martin, wbo lives at Wakapuaka. On September 7, 1863, a vessel, called the Delaware was wrecked off tbe coast of Neison, and the captain and two sailors were rescued by tbe heroic exertions of tbis young girl, who swam off to the wreck and brought tbem off one by one, carry iog tbe nifen on her back through a sea that no boat could live fn. To mark their .admiration of a feat tbat surpassed even tbe wonderfol exertions of Grace Darling, tbe inhabitants of Nelaoo entertained Julia at a'pabho dinner, and presented her with a gold watch and chain, with an inscription on it in both Maori and English, setting ior th tbe above faots."