Police have recovered two Gottfried Lindauer portraits stolen in Auckland in 2017, worth a combined $1m at the time they were taken.
Chieftainess Ngatai–Raure and Chief Ngatai-Raure were painted by the Bohemian-New Zealand artist in 1884.
They were stolen from an art gallery on Parnell Road on April 1, 2017.
Detective Inspector Scott Beard said police were contacted by "an intermediary who sought to return the paintings on behalf of others", and the paintings have now been returned to their rightful owner.
Police say they were contacted by "an intermediary who sought to return the paintings on behalf of others". (Source: 1News)
But they have "suffered some minor damage", which police believe occurred during the burglary.
Investigative work to identify those responsible for the theft is ongoing.
"Pending any forensic results from our enquiries, police will look at any new information that comes to hand and we will follow that up appropriately," Beard said. "Loyalties change over time and there may be people out there that know those responsible for the burglary.
"It is incredibly fortunate that police have been able to facilitate the return of these paintings more than five years after they were stolen."
And there is no statutory limit in New Zealand for burglary, he added.
"No matter how much time passes we remain open to the fact we can hold a person, or people, to account for the burglary in 2017."
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