It was touted as a "one-off oil painting" of a classic Parisian street scene with the famous Eiffel tower, complete with beautiful brush strokes and texture.
And with a $210 price tag, a real bargain and opportunity to own an exquisite piece of art. Sound too good to be true? It turns out the cheap reproduction was mass produced in Asia.
A Whangarei man, who did not want to be named, managed to stop a $600 bank payment for four paintings he bought from a persistent door-to-door salesman after his suspicions were aroused. Now he is warning others not to fall into the same trap and to avoid buying mass-produced paintings being sold by an Israeli man door-knocking Northland homes.
"I don't know much about art but it looked beautiful. The Paris one I thought was the real McCoy."
He even had the spot above the fireplace earmarked for the artwork.