Our current auction once again comes from new and old friends and colleagues from across Ontario and Quebec. Consignments came from as far north as Sudbury and Barrie, from Stratford, Oxford and Grey Counties in the west, Toronto, Croydon and Cobourg in the east and the Niagara Region to our south. Consequently, we have an exciting and varied line-up of folk art and Canadian formal art, pottery, textiles and country furniture.
The auction has our usual mix of furniture. There are a number of pieces from blanket and transitional chests, tool totes and a pedestal table that have retained their untouched surfaces. There is also a collection of furniture mostly gathered in Oxford and Waterloo Counties that has been beautifully refinished and lovingly maintained. Of special note are an early cherry slant front desk with a refined interior from Waterloo County, and a large and impressive pine storage cupboard. Pictures don’t do this cupboard justice. It can be used in a kitchen, library, pantry or even in a bedroom to store tons of linens or clothing.
There are two pre-Confederation samplers in the auction. One comes from Simcoe County (Cookstown) with family history and provenance. It descended in the Moir/Rainey family for several generations before it was sold by a great-great niece(?) of the sampler’s maker, Clara Rainey. It is in very fine condition. The other sampler pre-dates the Rainey sampler originating in Plainfield Upper Canada, created by Maria Moore, b1812. In addition to it being a rare early sampler, the folk art frame is fantastic. The other folk art and Indigenous frames posted throughout the auction are not to be missed!
We are listing several folk art carvings by noted and less known folk artists. Of special note is the Mennonite horse and buggy by Waterloo County’s Jacob Roth. Jacob Roth was a farmer for nearly 70 years. Eight years after his wife passed, he relocated to Ailsa Craig to live with his son, built a workshop at age 82 and started to create carvings of his and his community’s life. He was self-taught – a true folk artist. We have uncovered a little know possibly Mennonite folk artist named A. Titze. If anyone has any biographical information we would be delighted to add it to the listing. In addition to Roth and Titze we have several listed folk artists/carvers like Tom Martindale, Fred Burridge, and Neil Levy. One further carving of note is Lot 4, an anonymous possibly American limberjack that was made in the Civil War era. The surface and expression are exceptional.
Two of the major highlights in the sale are the paintings by Mose Tolliver, one of a snake and one a self-portrait done after he suffered mobility problems. Mose’s humble life is the subject of at least two books, and his works regularly appear at Slotin’s Auction in Georgia. His works are in many collections and museums across North America and around the world.
One lot worthy of interest is the detailed painting by Canadian artist Arthur Schrapnel. The subject is a young boy trout fishing with his friend looking on and two large trout lying dead in the foreground which reflects Victorian views about death. One nostalgic painting was done by Nell Wolfenden of the Haines family farm on the Mary River near Huntsville. It is accompanied by a note describing the farm’s history.
Redware and stoneware pottery play a large role in this auction. One collector who was an avid historian of Oxford County collected many pots and jugs of regional origin including Brantford, Tillsonburg, Waterloo and surrounding areas. There are pots/crocks by Gray & Betts, Welding, Morton & Co., to name a few. She also collected a number of early American stoneware ovoid crocks, one a 2 gallon cobalt glazed ovoid with dramatic flowers.
The final major collecting area is textiles. As mentioned previously we have two pre-Confederation samplers. In addition, there are early overshot and jacquard coverlets. One coverlet from Canada West is signed Hannah Stitsinger, 1848. Another coverlet retains its manufacturer’s label – Brook Woolen Mill, Simcoe, Ontario. Several good, hooked rugs and quilts round out the collection.
Call Barry at 519-803-3945 to make an appointment if you would like to preview this auction.
