Charles Goldie artist auction via NFTs

Tāmaki Makaurau  - Perhaps the most widely recognised and circulated images of artist Charles Frederick Goldie are being sold at Webb’s auction house, in a what is believed to be a first for a New Zealand auction house, with bidding via non-fungible tokens (NFTs).The value proposition of an NFT is that it authenticates a physical work of art with a unique token, assuring the person who owns the token that they also own the original work of art.

Goldie is unquestionably one of New Zealand’s greatest and most celebrated artists. The two glass plate negatives of him were taken in the early 20th century.

Charles Ninow, Webb’s art director, says the digital assets are based on portraits of Charles Goldie in his studio.

Digital scans have been produced from the original glass-plate negatives. The successful bidder will receive the NFT along with a framed print of the photograph and the original glass plate negative in a custom box. The auction start on January 28 and will close on February 1.

The online auction consists of two NFTs: Charles Frederick Goldie at His Easel, and Charles Frederick Goldie in His Studio.

These two unique digital assets are derived from the original glass plate negatives of two of the most well-known photographs of Goldie, one of Aotearoa’s most celebrated artist. He best known for his portrayal of prominent Māori dignitaries.

The photographs for the auction were evidently taken by Rupert Farnell Studios sometime between 1910 and 1920 and the negatives have survived in excellent condition to this day.

It is remarkable to discover the original glass-plate negatives of these well-known photographs. They have made possible the creation of extraordinarily detailed digital scans, which Webb’s has used to mint NFTs.

This is an excellent example of the special qualities of old technology meeting and being and enhanced by cutting-edge contemporary technologies and media formats.

The winning bidder will need to have a blockchain wallet. The digital asset will be transferred to the purchaser’s wallet, and they will also receive the physical objects.

NFTs are blockchain-based digital assets. There are many different blockchains, and Ethereum is one of the most popular. It is often used for minting and trading NFTs.

However, it comes with a congested network, inflated costs, and environmental concerns related to its energy use. The NFTs in this auction have been minted on Polygon, which is an Ethereum layer two blockchain.

If the right balance is made, developers can increase NFT value and attract new users. Valuation is driven by scarcity of supply and speculation. Speculation can be guided by including price performance charts of NFT items or by highlighting NFTs that appreciate in value.

For further information contact Christine Kearney on 027 9295604 or Make Lemonade NZ editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 030188