Miller & Miller's February 8th auction in Canada was packed with Canadiana, pottery, folk art, more

NEW HAMBURG, Ontario - Feb. 11, 2020 - PRLog -- An iconic "Fat Man" hooked mat from 1916 sold for $17,700, an oil painting of a horse by J. J. Kenyon galloped off for $11,800, a figural landscape by Homer Watson brought $6,900, and a circa 1940 CBC Radio Canada sign finished at $5,750 in Miller & Miller Auction, Ltd.'s Canadiana, Pottery & Folk Art auction held on February 8^th.

The auction was held online and in the Miller & Miller gallery located at 59 Webster Street in New Hamburg. It was headlined by the collection of the late Don Pero – a quiet but passionate collector of old school primitives, from pottery to furniture to folk art – and select offerings from the collections of John Wine and Jim Fleming, both pioneer collectors of pottery and folk art.

The iconic Canadian "Fat Man" wool and burlap hooked mat dated 1916, perhaps Ontario's most recognizable hooked rug, was the auction's top lot. It had strong colors and an imposing stature of the "Fat Man", measuring 40 inches by 29 inches. The book Canadian Folk Art to 1950 said of it, "The graphic and visually appealing composition of this rug can scarcely be improved on."

The original artwork category was plentiful and led by an oil on canvas painting of a horse by the Canadian photographer and painter J. J. Kenyon (Oxford County, 1862-1937). Measuring 23 ½ inches by 17 ½ inches (sight), the beautifully rendered work nearly doubled the high estimate of $6,000. Kenyon attended fairs to capture images of prize-winning animals that he later painted.

The circa 1940 CBC Radio Canada sign, depicting the original logo for CBC Radio Canada from 1940-1958 and designed by Ecole des Beaux Arts student Hortense Binette, 61 inches by 48 inches, sparked competitive bidding. The sign – likely one of a kind – was made from wood-backed Masonite. It had the original painted surface, with just some crazing and minor scratches.

The oil on canvas figural landscape by Canadian artist Homer Watson (1855-1936), probably painted around 1910 near Kaufman Flats, Doon and titled Cattle by Stream in Woods, 16 inches by 12 inches (sight), also nearly doubled its high estimate to hit $6,900. Proceeds from the sale of the signed work were donated by the seller, Nancy Silcox, to the Australian Wildlife Fund.

To learn more, visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.