Pipi puzzled [Pipi Haerehuka (Te Ārani), Ngāti Whakaue]

The subject of this painting, Te Ārani, had probably long forgone the prestigious customary garments and adornments she wears here. Yet perhaps she enjoyed being immortalised by celebrity artist Charles Goldie in the styles of her youth.

Goldie painted numerous elderly Māori in his Auckland studio, reportedly the ‘most bohemian south of the line’. There, they were paid for their sittings, and entertained by the musicians, writers, and artists passing through.

Pipi puzzled was painted with a sentimental brush for a European audience almost 100 years ago. But its value to Maori rests with its depiction of a known kuia (elderly woman of status) who has travelled through time to appear before us today.