Press Release

New Hamburg, ON, Canada, Nov 3, 2024 -- An oil on canvas painting by the renowned French artist Èdouard Leon Cortes (1992-1969) sold for $25,960, more than doubling the high estimate, and two oil on beaverboard works by iconic Nova Scotia painter Maud Lewis (1901-1970) combined for $60,180 in two days of online auctions held October 12-13 by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.

All figures quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars and include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.

The Cortes painting, titled Paris at Dusk, was the top achiever in the October 12th Canadiana auction, which featured 371 lots of furniture, decoys, pottery, stoneware, Canadiana and coin banks. The Maud Lewis paintings (there were seven total in the auction) were star lots in the October 13th Canadian Folk Art sale, which featured 242 lots of folk art and carved decoys.

The circa 1908-1925 Cortes painting, a fine example of his style and work, was the expected top lot in the October 12th auction and it did not disappoint, as it blasted through its $10,000-$12,000 pre-sale estimate. The 13 inch by 18 inch painting, of Paris’s rain-soaked streets at twilight, with the Arc de Triomphe in the background, was beautifully housed in a 19 inch by 24 inch frame.

Maud Lewis is no stranger to Miller & Miller Auctions. Numerous paintings by the artist have been featured in past sales, always with impressive results. The two top earners in the October 13th auction were Train Station in Winter ($31,860) and Men on Wharf ($28,320). Both fell short of estimates but were lovely representations of Lewis’s work, as were the other five paintings.

“Last weekend was proof that collections curated by astute and renown collectors command great attention,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., adding that “64 percent of the top fifty lots in the October 12th auction exceeded the high estimate. Furniture, decoys, weathervanes, and choice pottery were the top performers. Items in an untouched original state performed very well.” October 12th was headlined by the Hamilton and Rutter family collections.

Of the October 13th auction, Mr. Miller said that “42 percent of the top 50 lots surpassed high estimates,” adding that noted folk artists Wilfred Richard, Collins Eisenhauer, Cyril Hirtle, Barbara Clark-Fleming and Aime Desmeules “pushed their high watermarks.” We are already excited for the Canadiana & Folk Art sales in 2025, Miller said confidently.

Following are additional highlights from the two auctions, in which a total of 859 online bidders placed a combined total of 12,737 bids. Internet bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com and the Miller & Miller Auctions website. Of the 613 total lots up for bid, 99 percent were sold. October 12th grossed $415,714; October 13th grossed $277,595.

Starting with October 12, a finely made, high quality mahogany and white pine sideboard, possibly from the workshop of Thomas Nisbet (Saint John, New Brunswick), circa 1830, having six drawers, two cupboard compartments and two sliding doors in the upper section and retaining a rich old surface and color, realized $14,160 against a high estimate of $5,000.

A mid-20th century carved and painted black rooster by the Nova Scotia master Collins Eisenhauer (1898-1979), unsigned (as was much of his early work, but definitely by his hand), soared to $5,310 against a high estimate of $1,500. Incredible form and presence distinguished this proud black rooster, 14 inches tall, carved from wood and with glass eyes.

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the firm’s upcoming auctions, please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.

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