Two paintings by renowned artist Gottfried Lindauer worth $1 million stolen during a burglary five years ago have been recovered by police.

And police have revealed DNA testing has been undertaken on the precious artworks as part of their investigation.

The Lindauer paintings were stolen from an Auckland art gallery in an April 2017 ramraid.

Auckland City CIB Detective Inspector Scott Beard said the paintings, which have suffered minor damage, were returned to their “rightful” owners yesterday.

The two Lindauer paintings were stolen in a burglary five years ago. Photo / NZ Police

“Police were contacted by an intermediary, who sought to return the paintings on behalf of others,” Beard said.

Police are still working to identify those responsible for the burglary and they are still waiting for forensic inquiry results to come back.

Beard said forensic examination has included fingerprint and DNA testing.

“Despite extensive inquiries being conducted at the time no one has yet been charged,” he said.

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“Pending any forensic results from our inquiries, Police will look at any new information that comes to hand and we will follow that up appropriately.”

The original investigation was wound down years ago.

Beard would not discuss how the paintings were returned, but said a small group of investigators would continue on the case.

Beard said it was incredibly fortunate that they’ve been able to return the paintings more than five years after they were stolen.

“Loyalties change over time and there may be people out there that know those responsible for the burglary,” Beard said.

“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.”

Gottfried Lindauer's Chief Ngatai-Raure portrait has been recovered. Photo / NZ Police

On April 1, 2017, a stolen Ford Courier ute drove up Auckland’s Parnell Rd and was used in a ram raid on the International Art Centre.

Two men loaded the two large canvases into the back seat of an almost brand new white Holden Commodore and made off with the million-dollar paintings.

Richard Thomson, International Art Centre director, said of today’s news: “obviously it’s a terrific development”.

Police visited Thomson at his Parnell gallery and auction house last week to advise they’d found the two works.

He said he couldn’t disclose the circumstances of the return. He saw the works this weekend said “they have some damage . . . but the Tissot [famously stolen from Auckland Art Gallery in 1998] had a lot more damage and is now on display in the Auckland Art Gallery looking absolutely perfect.”

The International Art Centre in Parnell, Auckland, after the ram-raid where two Lindauer paintings were stolen in 2017. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Thomson said the paintings were currently “in safe-keeping”. He understood that while they had not yet been inspected by an art conservator, “that’s certainly going to happen”.

The paintings were in frames when they were stolen and Thomson said they had not been removed or rolled up.

The police had contacted the paintings’ original owner, “everyone’s been made aware... it’s a testament to what the police do, really. They never give up. I don’t know the full circumstances, I’m just glad they’ve been returned.”

Asked what should happen to them now, Thomson said it was “too early to say, but obviously they’ll be looked over by a professional team of conservators and given a detailed condition report. From what I can ascertain personally, and from my experience, they are repairable. The damage is mainly surface.”

Thomson said he was not involved in the paintings return, “they were returned to the police - it’s not the Thomas Crown Affair”.

- More to come