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Maud Lewis, ‘The Three Black Cats,’ estimated at CA$25,000-$30,000

Purrfect! Cat painting among six Maud Lewis works at Miller & Miller, Feb. 11

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Maud Lewis, ‘The Three Black Cats,’ estimated at CA$25,000-$30,000
Maud Lewis, ‘The Three Black Cats,’ estimated at CA$25,000-$30,000

NEW HAMBURG, Canada – Six original paintings by renowned Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis (1903-1970) are expected headliners in Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s online-only Canadiana & Folk Art auction slated for Saturday, February 11, beginning at 9 am Eastern time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. Nearly 300 lots in a wide array of popular collecting categories will be offered. All prices quoted are in Canadian dollars.

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. is no stranger to Maud Lewis. Her work has been featured in several past sales, including an October 2022 event in which 11 paintings by the artist sailed past their high estimates to bring a combined $559,510. The top lot was a piece dubbed Winter Sleigh Ride. Estimated at $20,000-$25,000, it finished at $100,300.

Five of the paintings in the February 11 auction carry individual estimates of $25,000-$30,000. One of them is The Three Black Cats, a signed serial image only found in the mid-to-late 1960s. This one 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.

Maud Lewis Sandy Cove harbor scene, estimated at CA$12,000-$15,000
Maud Lewis Sandy Cove harbor scene, estimated at CA$12,000-$15,000

Lot 262 is a Sandy Cove harbor scene by Lewis that carries a slightly more modest estimate of $18,000-$23,000. The serial image features Sandy Cove along Digby Neck in full season – a rare example of a Lewis painting with a named location, showing multi-colored houses, autumn tree colors, blue water and seagulls along with a boat and green hills.

Joe Sleep 1976 oil on board featuring carnival rides and a portrait of a cat, estimated at CA$5,000-$8,000
Joe Sleep 1976 oil on board featuring carnival rides and a portrait of a cat, estimated at CA$5,000-$8,000

Other works of art in the lineup include an exceptional and large painting by Joe Sleep, done in 1976 and featuring carnival rides and a portrait of a cat – two of Sleep’s favorite subjects. It is signed and dated at the lower right and has an estimate of $5,000-$8,000. Also, an oil on canvas depicting an October 1858 race during the Royal Canadian Yacht Club Regatta’s inaugural year, by Canada’s own Robert R. Whale, is estimated to rise to $4,000-$6,000.

Robert Whale oil on canvas of an October 1858 race during the Royal Canadian Yacht Club Regatta’s inaugural year, estimated at CA$4,000-$6,000
Robert Whale oil on canvas of an October 1858 race during the Royal Canadian Yacht Club Regatta’s inaugural year, estimated at CA$4,000-$6,000

Two paintings by Joe Norris of Lower Prospect, Nova Scotia are expected to do well. One is a 1991 enamel on board composition called A Schooner Taking Shelter from the Storm, signed and titled and estimated at $9,000-$12,000. The other is a signed painting titled The Lighthouse and Three Schooners, with lobster boats and fishermen shown on shore and an estimate of $8,000-$12,000.

Joe Norris, ‘The Lighthouse and Three Schooners,’ estimated at CA$8,000-$12,000
Joe Norris, ‘The Lighthouse and Three Schooners,’ estimated at CA$8,000-$12,000

Also on offer is a circa-1970 softwood birdhouse collage by Edmond Chatigny, consisting of a double-ended birdhouse with gable roof, displaying the flag of Italy. Small birds are on each side of the roof and the platform is covered with stylized plants and flowers. Its estimate is $3,000-$5,000.

Circa-1970 softwood birdhouse collage by Edmond Chatigny, estimated at CA$3,000-$5,000
Circa-1970 birdhouse collage by Edmond Chatigny, estimated at CA$3,000-$5,000

A scarce four-gallon stoneware crock made circa 1870 by G. I. Lazier of Picton, Ontario, fresh to the market and desirable because very few examples of decorated stoneware featuring horses and cattle exist, has an estimate of $12,000-$15,000. Also, a circa-1878-1885 earthenware lion door stop by W. B. Schuler of Tavistock, Ontario, incised underneath with the legend “W.B.S. A 1,” is estimated at $3,000-$3,500.

Circa-1870 four-gallon stoneware crock by G. I. Lazier, estimated at CA$12,000-$15,000
Circa-1870 four-gallon stoneware crock by G. I. Lazier, estimated at CA$12,000-$15,000

Choice furnishings include a handsome Waterloo County, Ontario two-piece corner cupboard with six lights per door in the upper section and three drawers above two doors in the lower section, with its original muted red and amber paint. It carries an estimate of $6,000-$9,000.

Waterloo County two-piece corner cupboard with original muted red and amber paint, estimated at CA$6,000-$9,000
Waterloo County two-piece corner cupboard with original muted red and amber paint, estimated at CA$6,000-$9,000

Rounding out the highlights is a circa-1860 figural trade sign for the watchmaker George Hess of Zurich, Ontario, made from iron and wood and estimated at $3,500-$5,000; and a late 20th-century paint and mud on board portrait of a Girl with Yellow Hat by Louisiana Outsider Master Jimmy Lee Sudduth. The graphically strong work is signed and estimated at $2,000-$3,000.

Earthenware lion door stop by W. B. Schuler, estimated at CA$3,000-$3,500
Earthenware lion door stop by W. B. Schuler, estimated at CA$3,000-$3,500

To consign a single piece, an estate or a collection, call Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. at 519-573-3710 or email info@millerandmillerauctions.com. To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.

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