11 paintings by Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis bring a combined $559,510 in Miller & Miller auction

NEW HAMBURG, Ontario - Oct. 13, 2022 - PRLog -- Eleven original paintings by the acclaimed Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis (1903-1980) sold for a combined $559,510 in an online-only Canadiana & Folk Art auction held October 8^th by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., based in New Hamburg, Ontario. Overall, 344 lots came up for bid in the auction, which grossed a robust $871,695.

All figures quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars.

Of the eleven Maud Lewis paintings in the auction, Winter Sleigh Ride was an expected top earner, with a pre-sale estimate of $20,000-$25,000. It ended up selling for $100,300. The signed, circa 1955, 9 inch by 11 inch mixed media on beaverboard was a delightful and early Christmas season scene, similar to a later image used for a series of Canadian postage stamps.

An early, circa 1975 oil on panel harbor scene by the late master folk artist Joe Norris (1924-1996), titled Lower Prospect (the town in Nova Scotia where Norris spent most of his life), signed and titled lower left, left the room for $7,080. Also, an oil on board rendering of flowers by another Nova Scotia master, Joe Sleep (1914-1978), 28 ½ inches square and artist signed and dated ('77) lower right, brought $6,490. Mr. Sleep learned to draw while hospitalized in Halifax.

The rest of the auction was a market fresh offering of Canadiana and folk art, from some of the oldest collections in the country. The backbone of the sale was built on the collection of world-class walking sticks and folk art carvings of Jim Fleming. Also up for bid was Canadiana and folk art from Marty Osler and items from the Susan Murray collection.

An exquisite mixed media diorama by Adelard Brousseau of Quebec titled Maple Sugar Time (circa 1930), finished at $10,620. It was a wonderful rendition of a traditional Quebec rural scene, measuring 36 ½ inches long by 21 inches tall by 24 ½ inches wide. Brousseau achieved the diorama by meticulously carving, one by one, the figures, the tools and animals in the scene.

An acrylic on paper by Canadian Woodland artist Norval Morrisseau (1932-2007) titled Ancestral Visitor, (1998) brought together many elements, such as spirits, a continuance of life in the body of one animal while showing a connection to other life and spirit forms. The signed work, measuring 22 inches by 30 inches (sight, less frame), brought $11,800.

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.