Miller & Miller’s Online-Only Auctions, October 12 and 13, Feature Canadiana and Canadian Folk Art

Original oil paintings by acclaimed Nova Scotia artists Maud Lewis (1901-1970) and Joe Norris (1924-1996); an 1860s F. P. Goold (Brantford, Ontario) two-gallon horse crock; and many other wonderful examples of Canadiana and Canadian folk art will come up for bid in online auctions hosted by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., October 12-13. The Goold horse crock and Cortes oil painting will headline the Saturday, October 12th online-only Canadiana auction, one featuring the Wendy B. Hamilton and late Bill Hamilton collection, plus the Rutter family collection, starting at 9 am Eastern time.

Canadiana Auction Highlights

The 373-lot auction will feature furniture, decoys, pottery and stoneware, Canadiana, and coin banks, mostly Canadian in origin. The Maud Lewis and Joe Norris paintings are the expected top lots in the next day’s online-only Canadian Folk Art auction, on Sunday, October 13th, boasting 243 lots of folk art and decoys, also starting at 9 am Eastern. Bidders can participate in real-time in both auctions via the live webcast as the auctions close in lot order starting at 9 am. Phone and absentee bids are accepted.

“Wendy and the late Bill Hamilton were meticulous lifetime collectors whose interests ranged from Canadiana and early lighting to quality cast iron banks,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., adding, “The Rutter family collection, synonymous with quality, includes a documented fraktur work by Anna Weber. Bidders will be impressed with both collections.” Miller said the October 13th sale offers a lineup of 20th-century Canadian folk art. “Hard to find examples by key artists are on offer, as interest in this category continues to explode,” he said. The expected top lot of the two days is – no surprise here – Maud Lewis’s oil on beaverboard painting titled Train Station in Winter (1960-1961).

Impressive Collectibles

Ms. Lewis’s works have been featured in past Miller & Miller Auctions, always with impressive results. This framed work, artist signed with a board size of 17 ½ inches by 13 ½ inches, is a bustling image depicting women in hoop skirts and muffs and men in towering top hats, reminiscent of mid-19th century Canada. It pops with color, yet the admirer is easily mesmerized by its simplicity (est. $30,000-$40,000). All prices quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars. The enamel on canvas by Joe Norris, titled Sunset with Three Yawls, is a serene and evocative landscape capturing a sunset over the Nova Scotia coastline. It’s an outstanding example of what makes Joe Norris an East Coast master.

The work is signed lower left (“Joe Norris L.P.”) and has a gallery label on the reverse. The stretcher size is 24 inches by 30 inches and it’s nicely housed in a frame measuring 29 ½ inches by 35 ½ inches (est. $9,000-$12,000). The exceedingly rare and exceptional salt-glazed stoneware two-gallon horse crock by F. P. Goold dates to the 1860s and features a reverse-stenciled horse adorning the side. It stands 9 ½ inches tall and is stamped “F. P. Goold / Rantford (the “B” in Brantford is missing) / 2”. Franklin Goold and Charles Waterous owned the Brantford Pottery from 1859 to 1867.

During that time, some of the best Ontario stoneware ever was made by them (est. $10,000-$14,000). An oil on canvas painting by noted French artist Èdouard Leon Cortès (1882-1969), titled Paris at Dusk (circa 1908-1925), depicts the City of Lights at twilight, with the Arc de Triomphe in the background. It’s in very good condition, re-lined, and professionally mounted onto a new stretcher. The 13-inch by 18-inch work (canvas, less frame) is artist-signed and stamped ‘Toronto’ on the frame’s back (est. $10,000-$12,000).

Keeping with the Day 1 auction, a rare and important low-head hen bluebill decoy from a personal “rig” of Adam D (Addie) Nichol (1864-1929), of Smiths Falls, Ontario, is expected to soar to $6,000-$8,000. This stylized, individualistic, circa 1900-1925 decoy has an extensive carving of the wings, head, and body, complemented by fine paint detail and body stippling. A 77-inch-wide, circa 1830 step-back New Brunswick mahogany and pine secondary sideboard with shaped gallery, having a rich old historic finish, nine drawers, and a recessed central section with two doors, should finish at $6,000-$8,000.

Unique Collectibles

The original brass hardware with brass pulls appears identical to those on a sideboard attributed to Alexander Lawrence. On to Day 2, where a rare and important “Circus Freak Show” by the renowned Quebec carver Gaston Bergeron is estimated to command $4,000-$6,000. This piece is a component of his greatest work, a fabulous miniature circus. This group of “circus freaks” includes the bearded lady, the world’s tallest man, and more. All are carved to scale, with every detail meticulously crafted, including the wagon’s undercarriage, wheels, and harnesses of each wagon and horse.

An exceptional, highly dynamic carved and painted wood tableau featuring a running figure (perhaps a dog), with five birds, featuring a sensational “splatter” paint job in green, red, and white, created by Edmond Chatigny (Saint-Isidore, Quebec, 1895-1985), 15 ½ inches by 16 inches by 11 inches, unsigned, from the last quarter 20th century, should hit $3,000-$5,000. In-gallery previews will be held Thursday and Friday, October 10th and 11th, from 9 am until 5 pm Eastern time each day in the Miller & Miller showroom, located at 59 Webster Street in New Hamburg, Ontario. Appointments are not required.

About Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. is Canada’s trusted seller of high-value collections and is always accepting quality consignments. The firm specializes in watches and jewelry, art, antiques, and high-value collectibles. Its mission is to provide collectors with a trusted place to buy and sell.