NEW HAMBURG, Canada — A recently discovered salt-glazed and cobalt-washed stoneware flask is the top lot in Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd.’s Canadiana and Historic Objects sale set for Saturday, October 7. The catalog is now available for bidding on LiveAuctioneers.
Found in British Columbia, the flask features incised floral decorations and stands 9in tall. Marked ‘Wm. Collinson Saint Thomas Canada West,’ it is believed the flask was made for William Collinson (1830-1890), an English immigrant who went on to establish a successful sheepskin business in St. Thomas, Ontario. The item may have been manufactured as a promotional item for his firm. It has an estimate of CA$25,000-CA$35,000 ($18,500-$25,900).
The sale also includes four original works by beloved Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis (1903-1970). Living in poverty most of her adult life, Lewis only gained national attention in the mid-1960s for her works, which largely focus on plants and animals.
The top Lewis lot is The Three Black Cats, purchased directly from the artist at her home in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia in the 1960s. Measuring 16in by 9.75in, the colorful painting is much wider than is typical for a Lewis work, making it something of a rarity. It is estimated at CA$25,000-CA$30,000 ($18,500-$22,200).
Glass fruit jars featuring a beaver motif were a common sight in earlier Canadian days. This example has an extremely rare left-facing beaver (most face right) as part of its amber glass construction. It is estimated at CA$12,000-CA$18,000 ($8,800-$13,320).
Vintage portraits of beloved animals are always auction favorites. This handsome illustration of the horse Harry Clay, Jr. was painted “from life in 1894” by J. J. Kenyon of Waterloo County, Ontario. The illustration describes Harry as being the property of “W. Tanner, V.S. Mount Forest. Ont.” It is estimated at CA$2,000-CA$5,000 ($1,480-$3,700).
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