Four original oil paintings by the renowned Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis (1903-70) sold for a combined $167,560, and a rare stoneware flask from the 1850s by William Collinson finished at $15,340 in Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd.s online-only Canadiana and Historic Objects Auction held on Oct. 7. All prices quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars. Miller & Miller is based in Ontario, Canada. The auction attracted 469 registered bidders who combined to place 6,753 bids. Of the 355 total lots, 99 percent were sold. Online bidding was via LiveAuctioneers.com and the Miller & Miller website. All prices quoted are inclusive of an 18-percent buyers premium. The four paintings by Lewis included The Three Black Cats ($47,200); Two Deer ($44,250); Oxen in Winter ($38,350); and Covered Bridge in Winter ($37,760). The first two were serial images found only in the 1960s; Oxen in Winter spanned two decades; Covered Bridge in Winter was painted toward the end of Lewiss life. All four paintings were signed and framed. Maud Lewis lived most of her life in poverty in a small house in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia. She achieved national recognition in 1964 and 1965 for her cheerful paintings of landscapes, animals and flowers, which offer a nostalgic and optimistic vision of her native province. Several books, plays and films have been produced about her. Shes one of Canadas most celebrated folk artists. The cobalt decorated stoneware flask with incised work on both panels by English-born Canadian artisan William Collinson (1830-90) was a good example of marked and decorated antique Canadian stoneware. It featured four well-executed sunflowers on one side. The reverse had been incised in a cursive script, Wm. Collinson Saint Thomas Canada West. It was discovered in British Columbia, Canada. William Collinson was born in England in 1830; he would later move to St. Thomas, Ontario, where he established a successful sheepskin business. Later in life, Collinson moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where he died in 1890. The flask was made in Ontario, ca. 1841-67, and stands 9 inches high. It was produced before 1867, which was Ontarios confederation and when Canada West was changed to Ontario. The 355-lot auction, which grossed $424,036, featured a well-rounded offering of fresh-to-the-market Canadiana, folk art, pottery, textiles and more from some of the best collections in the country, with material dating from the 19th to the 20th centuries. Canadian art ranged from the traditional work of J.J. Kenyon and Homer Watson to the folk paintings of Lewis. This multi-consignor sale afforded us the opportunity to bring the cream of the crop across a vast array of collecting categories that fall into the fairly broad banner of Canadiana and historic objects, said Ben Lennox, an associate at Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd. Astute buyers were able to hone in on masterpieces such as the Mohawk cradle board, the William Soper inlaid chest of drawers, the antler-formed chair and, of course, the Collinson St. Thomas stoneware flask. As such, aggressive bidders drove these items to strong prices. These are pieces, that outside of museums, are only found in the most serious of collections. We were honored to be able to offer them up to the open market. With 70 percent of our top 50 lots exceeding estimates, this continues to highlight the feverish demand for the best. Collectors arent anxious to walk away from the opportunity to add unique pieces to their collections, added Lennox. A scarce, ca. 1880-1900 left-facing beaver pint fruit jar attributed to the Sydenham Glass Factory in Wallaceburg, Ontario, dark amber in color and 5.25 inches tall, with a zinc lid, changed hands for $11,800. Also, a painted softwood stick-up model flying snow goose blue phase hunting decoy used on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, with 28-inch wingspan, boasting an untouched original paint surface, brought $8,850. An unusual, ca. 1900 Canadian armchair constructed from three or more sets of moose antlers plus leather and iron, with a deep upholstered seat and back with a pointed arch, the antlers forming the legs, arms, and wings of the back, rose to $7,080. Also, a ca. 1890 Northeastern North America Mohawk cradle board, adorned with carved and painted floral decoration on the reverse side and flower and bird carvings with good color throughout, finished at $5,310. A ca. 1895-1907 Canadian cream-glazed earthenware ewer and basin with floral motifs on both pieces, attributed to the Owen Sound Pottery Company of Horning & Brownscombe in Ontario, commanded $4,720, while a decorated four-gallon A. Livingston, Wine & Spirit Merchant salt-glazed stoneware jug, attributed to Samuel Skinner of Picton Pottery (Ontario), four inches tall, with cobalt bird decoration, hit $5,605. To learn more, email info@millerandmillerauctions.com or visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.