Gottfried Lindauer
Replica Studio

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About the artist

Gottfried Bohumir Lindauer

The Lindauer family arrived in Bohemia (Czechoslovakia) from Magdeburg in Germany in the 1600s. Upon arrival, they changed their name to Lindauer, which was derived from the Linden (Lime) tree. This is one the national symbols of Bohemia.

It is not known what the family name was originally.

It was here Gottfried (Bohumir) Lindauer was born on 5 January 1839 in Plzen. Plzen (Pilsen), an old gothic town, is famous for its Pilsner beer and is also home to the Skoda car works. The most outstanding landmark in the town is the 13 th Century Cathedral of St Bartholomew.

Apprenticship
Lindauer started a gardening apprenticeship with his father in 1852 at the age of 13. Three years later, he traveled to Vienna, Austria to start his training as an artist. To supplement his income during his training, Lindauer painted for churches. In 1860, he was commissioned to paint for a church in the small town of Valasske Klobouky in Morovia. Lindauer completed around 21 paintings including 8 murals some of which were two metres high. These paintings are kept in storage and are brought out and hung in the church once a year on July 5th for anniversary celebrations.

Lindauer was called into the Reserves of the Austrian Army. However, he was not soldier material and ended up painting portraits of the Officers wives.

A wrong turn to New Zealand
He was again called upon to serve in 1873 but after quarrelling with the officers; he took a years leave of absence and boarded the first ship leaving Hamburg on May 10 1874. He thought was going to America but instead came to New Zealand. On August the 6th, he arrived in Wellington.

His life in New Zealand was a somewhat nomadic. He traveled regularly through the country with Dr Walter Buller attending Maori Land Courts and painting portraits of judges and Solicitors. His first known painting in New Zealand was of Sir Ernest Davis' mother in 1875.

Marriage
Lindauer was married twice. Very little is known about his first wife Emelia Wipper from Danzig in Germany. Emelia died in February 1880, six months after arriving in New Zealand from peritonitis. Her Death Certificate states that the couple married in Melbourne although extensive research have failed to find any marriage records. This also leads to the possibility that Lindauer may have spent time in Australia and there may well be a number of his paintings there.

On 15 September 1885, Lindauer married Rebecca Petty from England. They met while Rebecca was employed as a cook for the Governor, Sir William Jervois. They had two sons Hector Cornell Partridge and Victor Wilhelm.

The Woodville connection
In 1889, Lindauer visited Woodville to purchase a section but was unsuccessful.

The following year he returned and purchased a ten acre block in Pinfold Road where he built his house and studio and grew grapes. A keen gardener, he spent a great deal of time landscaping and planting trees many of which are still there today.

His house and studio also still remain but the studio is in a state of disrepair.

 

 

The artist passed away in his sleep, as had been his wish on 13 June 1926 at his Woodville home. He is buried in the Woodville Historic Gorge Cemetery along with his wife Rebecca and son Hector. Victor is buried in the Bay of Islands.