Tag Archives: canadiana

Miller & Miller will Hold A Major Online-Only Canadiana & Folk Art Auction on Saturday, February 12th, at 9 am Eastern

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New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, January 28, 2022 -/DailyVoice/- Original oil paintings by Franz Johnston and Alexander Young Jackson, both founding members of Canada’s “Group of Seven”, plus a one-piece Adam-style corner cupboard from an estate near Orono, Ontario are expected top lots in an online-only Canadiana & Folk Art auction slated for Saturday, Feb. 12th, by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.

The 376-lot auction has a start time of 9 am Eastern time, with Internet bidding available on the Miller & Miller website (www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com), as well as LiveAuctioneers.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted. The categories include folk art, furniture, art, tools, Canadiana, architectural items, vintage toys, pottery and stoneware, and beautiful textiles.

The oil on board rendering by Franz Johnston (1888-1949), titled The Battlement, Lake of the Woods, measures 13 inches by 10 ½ inches and is expected to climb to $22,000-$30,000. It is a vibrant and rare example, with strong brush strokes and content that’s typical of ‘The Group Impressionism’. Johnston resigned from the Group in 1924 as his style became more “realistic”.

The oil on panel by Alexander Young Jackson (1882-1974) is titled St. Lawrence South Shore Village (circa 1945) and measures 10 ½ inches by 13 ½ inches (estimate: $18,000-$28,000). It shows wonderful color and detail and has gallery labels on back for Klinkhoff, Montreal and Thielsen, London. Jackson was key in bringing together the artists of Montreal and Toronto.

The one-piece Adam-style corner cupboard, made in Canada around 1835, features a fluted frieze on the cornice and astragal glazing on the upper doors. Each upper door has 13 panes of glass, while the lower section has two flat paneled doors above a bracket base. The cupboard, in untouched condition, is 84 inches tall by 50 inches wide and is expected to hit $8,000-$12,000.

Also featured will be Part 2 of the many collections of Marty Osler. Part 1, held in April 2021, was led by a select offering of decoys, fishing reels and rods, many by Hardy Bros. of England. The decoy collection was primarily Canadian and included examples by Carl O. Rankin, Frank Dolsen, Billy Ellis and Ken Anger. Part 2 will focus on select Canadiana and decorative arts.

All prices in this report are in Canadian dollars and include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.

“We are very excited about this second sale of select Canadiana and decorative arts from Marty Osler’s personal collection,” said Peter Baker, who Miller & Miller engaged to serve as an advisor for the sale. “Marty collected exceptional and unusual pieces, including painted country furniture and classic folk art that are the backbone of this sale, but we are also pleased to offer works by prominent artists such as Robert Pilot, Manly Macdonald, A.F. Loemans, Goodridge Roberts, Horatio Walker, and Jackson and Johnston.”

“In addition,” Mr. Baker continued, “we have the imaginative folk art of Edmond Chatigny, George Cockayne and Ewald Rentz and, rarely seen in Canada, pieces by noted outsider artists Purvis Young, R.A. Miller, Steve Sutch, Howard Finster and Jim Sudduth.”

Baker concluded, “Traditional collectors will find North American beadwork, stoneware, weathervanes, cast-iron toys and several book pieces of Canadiana in the sale. This promises to be a truly memorable auction with many pieces having not seen the ‘light-of-day for decades.”

Two oil on canvas paintings by another renowned “Group of Seven” artist – Manly Edward MacDonald (1889-1971) – will come up for bid: Log House, signed lower left (estimate: $4,000-$5,000); and The First Snow, an earlier painting considering the wooden wedge construction (estimate: $2,000-$3,000). Both works are housed in their original frames, which is significant, as he had a Scottish carpenter who created hand-carved frames that added value to his paintings.

A watercolor on paper of a Quebec Village by Marc-Aurèle Fortin (1888-1970), diminutive at just 10 inches by 12 inches (sight), was painted circa 1925, showing a double-spired church with the Quebec hills in the background (estimate: $2,000-$3,500). Also, an oil on canvas Forest Landscape by Goodridge Roberts (1904-1974), 15 ½ inches by 19 ½ inches (sight), of a forest landscape with a brilliant blue sky (possibly a Georgian Bay view) should fetch $2,500-$3,000.

Canadian-made furniture pieces will be offered in abundance and will include the following:

  • A standing two-piece pine secretary (Ontario, circa 1850-1860), in an untouched grain-painted surface, with a scalloped flat cornice, the upper section having two double-paneled doors, two drawers and adjustable interior shelves (estimate: $3,000-$5,000).
  • A Western Canadian Ukrainian step-back cupboard painted in yellow, cream and green, circa 1900, 79 inches tall by 44 inches wide, from the Yorktown area of Saskatchewan, with original metal hardware on the drawers and upper door (estimate: $2,000-$4,000).
  • An early 20th century Canadian dining table from the Peryhitka family (Hubbard, Saskatchewan), with a deep scalloped skirt on all sides and having a scrub top with the base in light brown paint over the original dark reddish brown (estimate: $2,000-$3,000).

Sculptures by Edmond Chatigny (1895-1992) will include a rare and large Bird Sculpture, made in Quebec circa 1970, depicting a bird in brown paint with white and green splotches, mounted on a square stool base, 30 inches tall (estimate: $3,500-$5,000); and a Farm Scene sculpture, also made in Quebec circa 1970, showing a farmer in a plumed hat plowing with a pair of oxen, while multiple birds and flowers line the field, mounted on a platform base (estimate: $2,500-$3,500).

Wonderful decorative accessories will be plentiful. Just a few highlight examples are as follows:

  • A late 18th century Pennsylvania bride’s box, 18 ¼ inches by 11 ½ inches, of pegged construction, a large oval band box with stitched joints and a marvelous painted surface, the lid showing a man serenading a woman with his mandolin (estimate: $2,500-$3,500).
  • An important, large and joyful ship whirligig in tin of a white ship on blue seas by Quebec artist Ernest Joly, circa 1970, with a ship that rocks back and forth when the propeller turns, a captain at the helm, 36 inches by 57 inches (estimate: $2,500-$3,000).
  • A fretwork panel with religious scenes marked “Elohim” (God of Israel in the Bible’s Old Testament), made in Ontario circa 1970, 37 ½ inches by 48 ½ inches, exhibiting great colors and superb detail, mounted on a pine backboard (estimate: $2,000-$3,000).

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the auction on February 12th, please visit http://www.millerandmillerauctions.com.

Miller & Miller’s Oct. 9th Online Firearms, Sporting & Canadiana Auction will also Feature Paintings by Canadian Artists

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New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, September 23, 2021 -/DailyVoice/- Original, vibrant paintings by Canadian artists Alfred Joseph Casson (1898-1992), Alexander Young Jackson (1882-1974), Anna Weber (1814-1888), Joseph Swift (1832-1889) and Homer Ransford Watson (1855-1936) will all be in a Firearms, Sporting & Canadiana auction slated for Saturday, October 9th by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.

The online-only auction has a start time of 9 am Eastern time, with Internet bidding available on the Miller & Miller website (www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com), plus LiveAuctioneers.com.

There will be two headliners: the Don and Joyce Blyth firearms collection, and the decoy and fishing collections of Marty Osler. Marty’s fishing collection includes a select offering of fine reels and rods, many by Hardy Brothers of England. The decoy collection is primarily Canadian and includes many fine examples by Carl O. Rankin, Frank Dolsen, Billy Ellis and Ken Anger.

The Blyth collection features Ontario firearms, including many unique examples, as well as highly collectible firearms by Colt, Remington, Stevens and others. Also included is artwork by the abovenamed Canadian artists and others. The sale is complemented by a select offering of wonderful Canadian and American furniture and fine and decorative art.

“Don and Joyce Blyth began their collection in the 1950s, before antiquing was a thing,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “Don found the treasure map to his firearms collection shortly after the Second World War. It was in the form of a firearms registry mandated during the war. He used it to track down his rarest guns, and it set the stage for Gooding’s book.”

Miller added, “Whether it was art by the Group of Seven, a passenger pigeon, or a Colt Dragoon, Don collected it. Now, others will have a chance to own what he and his wife Joyce cherished for their entire lives.” There will be no in-person auction to attend, but bidders can tune in to the live webcast on the Miller & Miller Auctions website, on October 9th, to watch lots close in real time.

The 1940 oil on board landscape painting by the Group of Seven artist Alfred Joseph Casson is a candidate for top lot of the auction, with a strong estimate of $30,000-$40,000 (all prices quoted are in Canadian dollars). The work, titled Outside Algonquin Park, depicts a bucolic scene near the village of Whitney. Casson focused much of his work on rural villages and towns in Canada.

The oil on board country scape painting by Group of Seven founding member Alexander Young Jackson, done in 1966, is similar in style to the Casson work, except there are no buildings in the Jackson painting, as there are in Casson’s. The piece, with an estimate of $20,000-$30,000, is signed lower left, titled and dated, “Oat Field Harrington, Quebec, Sept. 1966, A.Y. Jackson.”

A large (18 inches by 14 inches) watercolor and ink folk art fraktur-type painting by Anna Weber is signed in fraktur writing and dated 1870. The design, executed in blues, red, yellow and brown, consists of eleven pairs of birds, each pair a different type (estimate: $12,000-$18,000). Weber was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania but died in Waterloo County, Ontario, a Canadian.

There are two paintings by Joseph Swift on offer, both equestrian-themed and both having pre-sale estimates of $12,000-$15,000. One is of a horse named Manfred, the other Royal Exchange. Smith spent much of his artistic time filling a growing need for recording prize-winning animals, often shown at the Toronto Exhibition for proud owners in the latter part of the 19th century.

Homer Ransford Watson will also be represented twice in the sale, once with a monumental (34 inches by 44 inches) unframed oil on board, one of a pioneer (or farmer) traveling along a trail by horse-drawn carriage, titled The Hayrack (estimate: $8,000-$12,0000; the other a lovely outdoor scene of a boy closing the gate on his flock of sheep, signed (estimate: $4,000-$6,000).

Good things will happen yet a third time with a pair of oil on board paintings by John Joseph Kenyon, the photographer-painter. Like the Swift paintings, these are also equestrian in nature. Kenyon painted money portraits of the winning horses at race tracks in New York and Kentucky. These two, titled Petrocleus (1904) and Lexington, are each expected to realize $4,000-$6,000.

On to firearms, where a Colt 3rd model Dragoon pistol, made circa 1851-1861, having walnut grips stamped with a cartouche of an army inspector’s initials on both sides is expected to hit the mark for $8,000-$10,000; and a rare Colt model 1851 Navy pistol, made in America but issued to the Canadian Upper Canada (Ontario) Volunteer Militia in 1855, should reach $6,000-$8,000.

A Winchester model 1873 deluxe rifle, made in America in 1893, .44-.40 calibre and with an octagonal barrel and a special order deluxe checkered grip and fore stock, carries an estimate of $7,000-$9,000. Also, a Samuel Green Canadian cased rifle, circa 1843-1861, cased and retailed by Rigby (Ireland), the .45 calibre barrel marked “Green Toronto”, should rise to $6,000-$9,000.

An American Jacob Spangle (Susquehanna, Pa.) flint Kentucky rifle, having a 34 ¼ inch, .45 calibre barrel, a tiger maple stock in exceptional condition and brass furniture has an estimate of $5,000-$7,000; while an American-made Stevens Walnut Hill rifle, of the type made from 1896-1930s, having a nicely engraved frame and a Swiss butt plate, should command $5,000-$7,000.

In the furniture category, a painted pine linen press, made circa 1940 and found north of Oakville in Halton County (Ontario), the case of one-piece construction with two doors, is estimated at $5,000-$7,000. Also, a late 18th or early 19th century Pennsylvania pine corner cupboard with swan and neck pediment, reeded pilasters and gothic glazing, should achieve $4,000-$6,000.

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. has two more online-only auctions lined up for the balance of 2021: a Watches & Jewels auction on Saturday, November 20th; and a Petroliana, Breweriana & Advertising auction on Saturday, December 4th. Like those before it, both will be Internet-only. To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and firm’s calendar of upcoming events, visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.

Miller & Miller’s June 5th Online Auction Features Stoneware, Decoys, Sporting Advertising, and more

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New Hamburg, Ontario — The lifetime collections of Don and Joyce Blyth – an astounding assemblage of stoneware, sporting advertising, decoys, powder tins, bottles in several categories, Canadiana and more – will come up for bid in an online-only Canadiana & Sporting auction planned for Saturday, June 5th, by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., at 9 am Eastern time.

Don and Joyce Blyth were both avid collectors until Don’s recent passing. Included in the auction is a nearly comprehensive collection of Guelph merchant stoneware and bottles, among other pieces of Guelph, Ontario memorabilia. Also on offer is Don’s collection of Canadian gun powder tins, decoys, sporting and firearms advertising and other rare items.

“To the Blyths, the thrill was in the hunt,” said Ethan Miller, of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “The spoils of their eight-decades-long hunt are now available to a new generation of collectors, and the interest has been staggering. In Joyce’s book, The Guelph Merchants, she tells of the town’s earliest merchants through stoneware. All of the stoneware in her book is in this sale.”

Don’s collection of sporting advertising includes numerous posters advertising products from Remington, Union Metallic Cartridge Company, Dominion Cartridge Company and Winchester. The rare cartridge boards for Dominion Cartridge, Union Metallic Cartridge and Winchester are expected to dominate the list of top lots. All carry lofty estimates.

Three 19th century cartridge display boards – two from Winchester (1887 and 1884) and one from Union Metallic Cartridge (1880s) have estimates of $20,000-$25,000 (all prices quoted are in Canadian dollars). All boards are lithographed cardboard with an applied representation of Winchester’s line of ammunition and all are handsomely framed in oak.

Among the most highly sought and iconic American sporting advertising, Winchester’s cartridge boards are monumental historic displays. Few survived intact due to their size and the fact they were often displayed in store windows and areas exposed to light. Collectors pursue them because they’re large, graphically appealing and display nicely.

Also offered will be a Winchester Double “W” cartridge display board from 1902 (est. $5,000-$7,000); an early 20th century Dominion Cartridge Co. exhibition board, Canadian (est. $5,000-$7,000); a Dominion Ammunition store counter display from the 1910s (est. $4,000-$6,000); and a Dominion Ammunition calendar from 1919 (est. $2,000-$3,000).

Stoneware will be led by a rare three-gallon jug produced in the 1870s by F. P. Goold and featuring a race horse decoration in cobalt slip, made during Goold’s tenure at the Brantford pottery in Canada (est. $8,000-$12,000); and a two-gallon jug debossed, “Robt. Rutherford Guelph”, boasting an outstanding bird decoration (est. $4,000-$5,000). The jug appears on the cover of Joyce Blyth’s book, Jugs & Crocks of the Guelph Merchants.

Another F. P. Goold jug, this one a two-gallon example, 14 inches tall and debossed, “F. P. Goold Brantford”, having a few very small scratches or scrapes mostly on the front of the jug, has an estimate of $3,000-$4,000. Also, a two-gallon jug, debossed, “John Smith Grocer General Dealer and Produce Buyer Guelph CW”, with a rare, incised “sgraffito” decoration, pictured on page 65 of Joyce Blyth’s book, should command $2,000-$3,000.

Tops in the decoys category is a first quarter 20th century Burlington Bay canvasback by Ivar Gustav Fernlund (Hamilton, Ont., 1881-1933), hollow, with a structurally excellent bottom board, beautiful wet combed paint and a bold, elegant high head (est. $4,500-$5,500); and a diminutive circa 1900 bluebill drake by Donny Reid (1862-1920), an important Burlington Bay decoy in outstanding original condition (est. $3,500-$4,500).

A hollow bluebill decoy from the first quarter 20th century by Henry (Hen) Freeborn (Hamilton, Ont., 1882-1959), in excellent gunning condition and with strong paint, has an estimate of $2,500-$3,500. Circling back to sporting collectibles, a large Gurd’s Rifle trade sign from the 1880s, made from carved wood with forged iron hardware, originally from Gurd’s Sporting Emporium in London, Ontario, should finish at $14,000-$18,000.

Internet bidding for the 289-lot auction will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, as well as the Miller & Miller website: www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com. Bidders can tune in to the live webcast on June 5th to watch lots close in real time. Phone and absentee bids will be accepted.

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. has two more auctions planned for June: a Watches & Jewels auction on Saturday, June 12th and an Advertising auction on June 19th. Both will be online-only.

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the Canadiana & Sporting auction scheduled for Saturday, June 5th at 9 am Eastern time, please visit www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com. Updates are posted frequently.