Miller & Miller to offer Canadiana & folk art collection, April 17

NEW HAMBURG, Canada – An online-only Canadiana & Folk Art auction featuring the lifetime Canadiana collection of Marty Osler will be held on Saturday, April 17th at Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. In all, 306 lots will cross the auction block. In addition to Canadiana and folk art, categories will include furniture, paintings, pottery, stoneware, tools, toys and banks, and architectural and nautical items. There will be no in-person event due to COVID-19. Absentee and live online bidding will be via LiveAuctioneers.com.

“Marty Osler is a true collector. You can see his passion for history and the human experience reflected in the objects he acquired,” said auction adviser Peter Baker, adding, “We discovered great things that haven’t seen the light of day for thirty years and many are of museum quality.”

Included are more than 20 important pieces and objects of Canadiana that span the country’s geographic regions, from a dated crooked knife from Nova Scotia to a Haida dance paddle from the West Coast. “In addition to the high-end material, there are lots of interesting items that will appeal to beginning collectors,” Baker said. “This is truly a something-for-everyone auction.”

One Canadiana lot certain to attract attention is a circa 1960 painting on green board by Maud Lewis (Canadian, 1903-1970) of a favorite local cove with the red-roofed Lynch House on the shore and the ferry Princess Helene entering the harbor. The Princess Helene operated between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia for 30 years. The signed, framed work should bring $8,000-$12,000.

Canadian furniture pieces will feature several fine cupboards, including the following:

A Quebec architectural one-piece cupboard-on-table with original paint, brass hinges, knob and slide lock. The cupboard section has an arched top over a single door supported in the front by white painted Corinthian columns. The piece carries an estimate of $8,000-$12,000.

A Waterloo County two-piece cupboard with the original paint and excellent proportions, 87 by 20in. The legendary Alan Clairman professionally cleaned the overpaint to show lighter color panels on a light brown case. The cupboard is estimated at $4,000-$6,000.

A Western Canada Ukrainian two-piece cupboard in the original burgundy red paint with green highlights, likely made in Saskatchewan between 1900 and 1920, 84 by 18½in, with a diamond motif in its upper and lower doors, and estimated at $2,000-$3,000.

Another prime piece of Canadiana in the sale is an oil on canvas painting signed by the self-taught artist Chief James Beaver (1846-1925), one of Ontario’s famed Six Nations Artists. Measuring 22 by 36½in, it should bring $2,000-$4,000. Also, an exquisite circa 1929 cruiser model made by Ditchburn Boat company, 28in long, with bow pennant, original canvas canopy, and a lifeboat, is expected to sail away for $1,000-$1,500.

A fine burl bowl with great form and color, 20½in in diameter and made in Ontario circa 1840, with great lift, gorgeous patina and no cracks, and hand-turned with a faintly incised double rim, should realize $3,000-$5,000, while a circa 1890-1900 Western Cree pipe bag with a beaded floral panel on a white ground and in a 36 by 13½in frame, is expected to reach $1,000-$1,500.

An early 19th century Ontario harvest table with a three-sided box stretcher and a single drop leaf supported by a plank draw support, in the original red-brown paint and with the original knobs, 66 by 27½in, has an estimate of $2,500-$3,500. Also, a carved pine Nova Scotia footstool in the original brown paint with chip-carved motifs, made in Lunenburg in the early 19th century with a carved top in a central snowflake design, should hit $2,000-$3,000.

Walking sticks in the auction include an allegorical walking stick from North Bay (Ontario), with a great surface and carved details, including hearts, dogs, a horse, a crescent moon and other images. It was created circa 1870-1880 and is estimated at $3,000-$5,000. The sale also features a 19th century burled head walking stick with a carved head as the pommel, natural burl for the hair, and a beautiful burled surface on the shaft, all with a deep surface patina from years of use. It’s estimated at $2,000-$3,000.

Another notable lot showcases a figure in full walking mode made from found materials by Edward Rentz (Canadian, 1908-1995), shown carrying two suitcases with a sign saying, “The hell with Canada, I am going to Winnipeg”. Standing 12½in tall and signed and dated 1984, it should garner $1,000-$1,500. Also, a circa-1900 model of a sealskin Bering Sea/Alaska style kayak (yup’ik), with two cockpits, exhibiting great patina, mounted on a contemporary base, and measuring 42in long, is expected to make $800-$1,200.

Rounding out the sale roster is an exceptional carved slide-top 8¼in-long pencil box made around 1800 in Saint-Henri-de-Levis, Quebec. Graced with an original untouched brown painted surface and incised on the bottom with the name Germain Roberge, it has an estimate of $2,500-$4,500. A late-19th-century Quebec double-sided game board for checkers and dames, decorated in brown cream paint with finely painted green vines and red berries or rosebuds in each keeper section, should command $1,000-$1,500.

For additional information on any item in the auction, call 519-662-4800 or email info@millerandmillerauctions.com.

 

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