Welcome to our July Collectors’ online auction. Let’s take you on the briefest tour to showcase just some of the highlights. There is such a variety of antiques, art, and collectibles that it’s best to see for yourself, so this is only a teaser of what’s being offered.
Canada does not have by European or Asian standards a long history. But we did have a company with over 350 years of successful continuous operation. The Hudson’s Bay Company started its life in the fur trading business back in 1670. But now its doors are closed. One of the products it created and marketed, and which became a symbol of the store was its point blankets. The points indicated size. More points larger size. We have not only the traditional coloured stripe blankets but we also have the 325th Anniversary blanket and the purple blanket commemorating the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
This auction is replete with quality furniture. There are fine examples of country pine furniture from Quebec and Ontario. It is always the little details that make the difference. Here are but a few examples. The Quebec bonnet chest is a common form found in the 19th C. The cabinet maker of Lot 100 raised it from a functional piece to an art form by carving diamond escutcheons, carving ovals on the gable ends, then finishing the skirt with a carved urn in the centre. Another Quebec gem is the “rustic arm chair” as Palardy would have described it, with its dramatic sloping Louis influenced arms and the unusual feature of a small tablet directly below the seat. The wear on the piece almost seems to make it glow.
For those interested in fine provincial joinery, check out the country Hepplewhite cherry chest from the Hales family in Aurora c1810-20. Flip the chest upside down (not an easy feat) and see how the glue blocking was done on the bottom. It is truly impressive, and the cabinetmaker only did it for his own satisfaction and high standards.
One collector had a passion for acquiring figured woods. In this auction there are several examples of tiger maple and birdseye maple from picture frames to rolling pins to a spectacular dressing mirror. It took several years to collect these pieces.
Surface is a big word for collectors, and it is not easy in an online auction with only thumbnail sized pictures to demonstrate fine examples of antiques with surface. So, check out carefully the pictures of the lots with document boxes and small chests. Each one has an exemplary untouched surface demonstrating the beauty that comes from care and 100-200 years of use.
Untrained artists express their feelings about events or memories through their folk art. Often the exact story has been lost but the art remains. There is a whirligig for example of oxen pulling a sled with 6500, possibly celebrating some 20th C fair in NB where a team of oxen set a local record for a pull of 6500 pounds. In Canada we do not find many examples of “African American” art. We have an early home-made quilt of a little girl in various floral and paisley dresses. It is a charming naïve piece.
There are several lots with early examples of stoneware from Ottawa, Toronto, Canada West and Canada East. Most have cobalt decoration. There is also a grouping of fruit jars, Gem, Crown, and Beaver in both clear as well as aqua.
One piece worth highlighting is Lot 35 – a folk painting of Niagara Falls. It is currently considered to be painted by an unknown artist. But it is very reminiscent of the work of Chief James Beaver, 1846-1925 – the subject matter, the rocks, the colour palette are similar to his work. Many of Chief Beaver’s paintings are in museum collections like Woodlands on the Six Nations Reserve. This is a work possibly done by one of his followers or contemporaries. It is definitely worthy of being considered a fine example of Canadian folk art.
Enjoy the auction.
