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Journal of the Nelson and Marlborough Historical Societies, Volume 2, Issue 6, 1995

Charles Adolphus Muntz

page 46

Charles Adolphus Muntz

Charles Adolphus Muntz was born in 1834 and christened with other family members in St Mary's Parish, Handsworth in the County of Stafford, in 1843.

Muntz ancestors were Polish and had been driven to France by persecution. During the French Revolution the family was broken up with Philip Frederick Muntz* travelling to Holland and thence to England. He bought into the Birmingham firm of Mynors and Robert Purden, marrying Purden's daughter, Catherine. He resided at Selly Hall, Worcestershire.

The eldest son of Philip and Catherine was George Frederick Muntz who married Eliza Pryce. Charles Adolphus was one of their family of six sons and two daughters.

George Frederick was elected MP for Birmingham and retained the seat until his death on 30 July 1857. On the death of his father in 1811, George Frederick managed the metal works his father had established. The invention of Muntz metal, its manufacture and application realised a large fortune. George Frederick was a worthy inclusion in the Dictionary of National Biographies. (Vol. XIII)

Philip Albert Muntz, another son of George Frederick, was also an MP from 1884 till his death. He was created a Baron in 1902 but the title lapsed on the death of Sir Gerard Muntz in 1940. 1857 was an eventful year, with the death of George Frederick, the marriage of Charles Adolphus to Sarah Louisa Simons and the departure of the couple in June on the Oriental arriving in Nelson, New Zealand in October. Charles and Sarah had married in St Margaret's Church, Leicester but it would appear that they did not receive parental blessing. It is believed that Sarah was a cook at the family home, Arthingworth Grange. This would account for the small inheritance of 2000 pounds which Charles received for the purchase of land and livestock in New Zealand. The other sons received 25, 000 pounds each, with the bulk of the estate of approximately 500, 000 pounds going to the eldest son. It is understood that in later years Sarah, much to Charles's annoyance, made an approach for financial assistance but it is not known whether this was forthcoming.

Charles and Sarah lived in Nelson for the first two years, where Charles was an iron merchant, no doubt with family connections in Birmingham. He took up land at Richmond, establishing a piggery and later a 16-acre orchard. In her book, "19th Century NZ Artists", Una Platts states that Muntz specialized in stud stock. In 1865 he was granted an area of land around the peak that bears his name, Mount Muntz, in the Crimea Range, North Canterbury, later transferring it to one Thomas Carter.

Charles Adolphus Muntz. Davis Studio Collection, Nelson Provincial Museum

Charles Adolphus Muntz. Davis Studio Collection, Nelson Provincial Museum

The McRaes, his neighbours in Richmond, developed a sheep station in North Canterbury and this probably accounted for his interest in the area, which resulted in the acquisition of page 47land there.

It is not known whether Charles Muntz had artistic talents prior to arriving in New Zealand, or exactly when he took up painting. At first he painted purely for pleasure, and as a pupil of John Gully progressed to being an artist of considerable ability, with paintings accepted for various exhibitions. He and Gully later painted together throughout the Nelson district. He must have been an apt pupil, for as early as 1862 he had an oil painting accepted for the 1870 Canterbury Exhibition. Research of Muntz paintings has found only the one oil, his other work being in water colour. There is an unproven story, similar to that told of the masters and their apprentices, that Gully may have been credited with Muntz works. However, there is no doubt Gully was the master.

He was referred to as a squatter in the Howard River Valley, but in 1867 took up 1500 acres of land in the area, the range between Lake Rotoroa and the Howard being named after him. One wonders whether the taking up of land in the Howard area was to have access to the lakes and mountains, as a large number of his paintings feature these subjects. Reference has been made to Muntz supplying miners, including George Moonlight, with butter as they travelled the Porika Track.

Paintings featuring subjects in the Canterbury area include Lake Tennyson, near Mount Muntz, Haywaggons Canterbury 1866, the Waiau Valley, Lake Sumner and the Glens of Tekoa, the sheepstation developed by William McRae. Travel to the Amuri plains would have been on horseback from Richmond to Kikiwa, Tophouse, The Wairau, Tarndale and over Jollies Pass as far as the Hurunui River. The painting of the McRae property, The Glens of Tekoa, hangs in the station homestead today. Shona McRae has a smaller copy of this painting and one of Lake Sumner and she lives near the homestead.

Research of the paintings of Muntz has revealed that a large number are held in the Nelson district, many by descendants. Where possible, these have been photographed and the owners recorded. Correspondence has been entered into with Libraries and Galleries, in particular the Alexander Turnbull Library. Information was obtained on paintings exhibited by Muntz, including the 1883 review by the the NZ Mail of the Fine Arts Exhibition when Muntz had four paintings listed. One was regarded as a very fine painting, with minor deficiencies, and would appear to be "Buller River Valley", a landscape painted from near what is today the bridge at Speargrass. In the June 1993 Arts Academy journal an article referred to the 1883 Exhibition: "some were for sale and prices ranged from two to a high of ten guineas for a Thos. Silke work of Porirua Bay and a C A Muntz picture of Takaka River, Nelson."

An advertisement of an art union of Muntz paintings in gilt frames listed 40 works with tickets limited to 320 and for sale at seven shillings each. The titles cover Nelson, Golden Bay and the Buller River area. Muntz was not particularly well-known outside the areas in which he painted and it is probable that many more paintings than those found and photographed are still held locally.

In 1904 fire destroyed his studio, with the loss of hundreds of sketches and, no doubt, unfinished works. His sketches would probably have indicated the localities and the years in which they were painted, while any hand-written notes would have been in valuable.

Charles and Sarah Muntz had three children; Annie Eliza 1862–1941, married John Sidney Winstanley, Clara Louisa 1864–1948, married Edwin Smallbone and Charles Frederick 1865–1929 who married Mary Reeves.

The Golden Wedding of Charles and Sarah, at which many family members and guests were present, was celebrated in 1907. The following year Charles Adolphus died and Sarah died in 1912. Their grave is located in the Richmond cemetery.

page 48

The Muntz homestead property was sold in 1955 to the Nelson Education Board and "Arthingworth" became the site of Waimea College. The old home forms part of the College building complex.

Acknowledgements

  • Dictionary of National Biographies.
  • Family History Centre, Nelson; the IGI's for Warwick & Stafford
  • Nelson Provincial Museum; Alexander Turnbull Library
  • NZ Geographic Board; NZ Fine Arts Association; 19th Century NZ Artists — Una Platts
  • The Amuri — W.J. Gardner; Difficult Country — Margaret Brown
  • How Richmond Grew — Jean Sutton; The Story of Nelson Lakes National Park

* Please refer to the 2015 issue of Nelson Historical Society Journalfor updated information relating to this article