Six original oil on board paintings by renowned Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis (1903-70) are expected headliners in Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd.’s online-only Canadiana and Folk Art Auction set for Saturday, Feb. 11, beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern time. Nearly 300 lots in a wide array of popular collecting categories will be offered.
Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd. is no stranger to Maud Lewis. Her work has been featured in several past sales, including one held in October 2022, in which 11 paintings by the artist sailed past their high estimates to bring a combined $559,510. The top lot was “Winter Sleigh Ride” (est. $20,000-$25,000); it finished at $100,300. All prices quoted are in Canadian dollars.
Five of the paintings in the upcoming auction carry estimates of $25,000-$30,000 each. The first, titled “Oxen in Winter,”is a 12-by-14-inch serial image that spans three decades. It depicts a pair of oxen, whose eyelashes open directly at the viewer, flanked with conifers. The signed painting comes with an audio file of an interview with the original owner and purchaser.
The second is another serial image, titled “Horse Pulling Logs,” artist signed and large at 14.25-by-16.5 inches (sight, less frame). Maud embellishes a chocolate brown Clydesdale or Percheron, with logs loaded onto a bobsled (a favorite subject of the artist), depicted on a cold winter day. This painting also comes with an audio file of an interview with the original owner.
Another, “The Three Black Cats,” a serial image only found in the mid-to-late 1960s, was likely painted in 1966. The happiness that Lewis conveys with this painting is immense. There is no room for anything but a proud mother and her kittens, all with wide bright eyes, in a setting surmounted with cherry blossoms. The 12-by-12.5-inch (sight) work is artist signed.
A vibrant “Spring Scene,” a relatively rare, 12-by-14 inch serial image featuring ox, spring flowers, flowering fruit trees, farm buildings, roads and paths, hills on the horizon and clouds, is highlighted by a slight blue sky. It’s signed lower right "Maud Lewis."
The rest of the auction is loaded with scarce items that include advertising signs, art, art pottery, Canadiana, clocks, decoys, folk art, lamps and lighting, pottery and stoneware, rugs and more. Internet bidding will be through the Miller & Miller website (www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com), plus LiveAuctioneers.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.
Two paintings by Joe Norris of Lower Prospect, Nova Scotia are expected to do well. One is a 1991 enamel-on-board composition “A Schooner Taking Shelter From the Storm.” The other is an oil-on-canvas painting titled “The Lighthouse and Three Schooners,” with lobster boats and fishermen on shore.
Rounding out just some of the auction’s expected top performers is a rare and early figural trade sign for the watchmaker George Hess (Zurich, Huron Cty., Ontario, ca. 1860), made from iron and wood, and a late 20th century paint and mud-on-board portrait of “Girl With Yellow Hat” by Louisiana Outsider Master Jimmy Lee Sudduth.
While this is an online-only auction, with no in-person event to attend, bidders can tune in to the live webcast to watch the lots close in real time.
For additional information, call 519-573-3710, email info@millerandmillerauctions.com or visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.