Outstanding antique Canadian furniture items and original artworks by acclaimed Nova Scotia artists Maud Lewis (1903-70), Joe Norris (1924-96) and Charlie Tanner all scored big in two days of online-auctions held Feb. 8 and 9 by Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd. In all, 399 lots came up for bid over the course of both sessions. The day one Select Canadiana Furniture, Folk Art, Textiles and Pottery Auction was packed with 325 lots of Canadiana, pottery and stoneware, textiles, art glass, and lamps and lighting. The day two Post-War Canadian Folk Art Sale was a smaller event, with just 74 lots of post-war Canadian folk art by Lewis, Norris, Tanner, Robert Wylie and others. The overall top performer was a late 18th/early 19th century Quebec arbalte dry scraped commode, which was featured in the book Les Meubles Anciens Du Canada Franais by Jean Palardy (p. 303, Plate 495). The antique form referred to as a commode had an estimate of $30,000-$50,000, but ended up changing hands for $70,800. All prices quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars and include an 18-percent buyers premium. A tall walnut chest of drawers from Waterloo County, commissioned as a wedding gift by Samuel Bricker (1776-1868) to his eldest daughter, Mary, blasted through its $6,000-$8,000 estimate to finish at $35,400. The chest, in very good condition, was illustrated in the book A Provincial Elegance. The Bricker chest offered on Saturday sparked a national news story that set the tone for the whole day, said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd. Quality Canadiana and folk art are very much in demand. We had many new faces, and the diehards. Two days later, I can still feel the afterglow. Maud Lewis is no stranger to Miller & Miller auctions. Many of her vibrant and colorful paintings have been featured in prior sales, always with strong results. This sale was no exception, as several of her oil renderings came up for bid and outperformed estimates. They included Three Black Cats ($44,840) and Harbour Scene with Cape Islanders ($24,790). Joe Norris also made multiple appearances in the auction, as he has, too, in prior Miller & Miller sales. The top achiever was an enamel-on-board titled Pulling the Boat Up. The story of this painting likely took place in the coastal village of Lower Prospect, Nova Scotia. It brought $30,680. A painted wood folk carving by Charlie Tanner, titled Family Group, a boldly carved and colorful work, and artist signed, easily blew past the $5,000 high estimate and realized $24,780. It portrayed an interaction among Tanners iconic bulbous figures: a woman holding a child in one arm while also holding the hand of her daughter, plus the family dog and a cat. On Sunday, explosions from Tanner, Norris and Lewis exposed the passion behind the purchases, remarked Miller. It was an exciting weekend. The auction grossed $1,106,928. A total of 895 online bidders placed a combined 12,310 bids. Over 65 percent of the top 50 lots exceeded estimates both days. Online bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.com and the Miller & Miller website (MillerandMillerAuctions.com). Phone and absentee bids were also accepted. A 19th century Stahlschmidt roll-top desk (the Canadian version of the American Wooten desk), an exceptional office desk made in Preston, Ontario, by W. Stahlschmidt & Co., had a high estimate of $5,000, but bidders pushed that to a selling price of $25,960. The desk was in very good condition, with original hardware and a brass plaque on the front edge. A ca. 1880 Ontario schrank (German for wardrobe or cupboard), in original paint, the upper panels bearing the initials J and K for the famed maker John Klempp (1857-1914), a hotel proprietor and cabinetmaker known for his inlaid furniture from 1870-90, in excellent, untouched condition and beautifully crafted in pine, found a new home for $25,960. A late 19th century folk art quilt top with Adam and Eve at the center, standing on either side of the tree with the forbidden fruit, as two birds fly above and a serpent lies below, 192 inches square, fetched $18,880 against a high estimate of $3,000. The Ontario-made quilt had hand-stitched appliqus and crazy quilt style stitching. Undoubtedly the top sleeper lot of the two days had to be the Eastern Ontario sampler dated 1848, drawn and executed by Agnes Wallace at 8 years of age. In strong colors with multiple images and identified animals surrounding a red brick Georgian house, the 12-by-17 inch (minus frame) sampler brought $32,450 against a high estimate of just $1,500. On the second day, an 1988 acrylic-on-canvas by Ted Harrison (England/Canada, 1926-2015), titled Japan, Harrisons interpretation of the Japanese culture, realized $17,770. Through bold colors and dramatic landscapes, Harrison achieved harmony between tradition and modernity, as well as nature and the human spirit. The 24-by-36-inch work was artist signed and inscribed. A monumental mid-1980s painted wood carving of Noahs Ark by Robert Wylie (Thomasburg, Ontario) rang up $15,340 against a high estimate of $6,000. This was considered the artists masterpiece. It totals 35 pieces, including 15 sets of animals. For more information, email info@millerandmillerauctions.com or visit www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com.