Police say a valuable Charles Goldie painting stolen from an elderly Mosgiel couple's home may have been taken between February and July while the house was for sale.
Senior Constable Dave Leonard, of Mosgiel, said yesterday police were trying to find an estate agent's register of people who attended open homes at the residence this year.
Snr Const Leonard spoke to the agent yesterday.
The agent no longer worked for the company which listed the home and the register had not been found, he said.
"There was no sign of a break-in and [the couple] only noticed it was missing recently.
The painting was small enough to fit under coat - about the size of a piece of A4 paper.
It is possible someone has signed a register using their real name . . . and it has been an opportunistic crime.
This is a key avenue for investigations at this stage," he said.
Police believed whoever removed the portrait - which depicted a Maori woman looking back over her shoulder - had covered the blank wall space with a large photograph which had also been displayed in the room.
"It's very difficult because people want to show a home in the best possible light and assume people coming through are there for legitimate reasons.
If it has been removed during an open home, it raises questions about how trusting we are," Snr Const Leonard said.
Real Estate Institute of New Zealand national president Murray Cleland, of Hamilton, said agents were not required by law to retain lists of people viewing property.
"Agents must rely on the public's honesty and there's no guarantee they are giving correct details when viewing homes - but most do keep lists of names," he said. "It's an unfortunate part of the society we live in, but we can only take so many precautions.
Our office puts two agents on large properties specifically for security, and we ask people not to display valuable items."
Agents could refuse entry to people and should inform vendors they can request people not be admitted if they refused to sign a register.
Victoria University senior art history lecturer Roger Blackley, who has published a book about the artist, said the Mosgiel painting sounded like a work from the earlier part of Goldie's career.
A similar-sized painting had recently sold for more than $100,000, he said.
Snr Const Leonard said police were shielding the couple from the media.
"They are an elderly couple who are absolutely gutted.
The husband said to me he had never even considered the monetary value of the painting because it was part of their family history and was never going to be sold."
The painting was given to the woman's father in recognition of his work with Maori in a North Island community, he said.
The portrait was not insured, and the couple had not photographed it, he said.
