Canadian Fine Art Auction

May 25, 2015

LOT 51

Lot 51

CORNELIUS KRIEGHOFF

CORNELIUS KRIEGHOFF
Lot 51 Details
CORNELIUS KRIEGHOFF

ICE HARVEST

oil on canvas
signed
11.5 ins x 15.75 ins; 29.2 cms x 40 cms

Estimate $60,000-$80,000

Realised: $59,000
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
CORNELIUS KRIEGHOFF
  • CORNELIUS KRIEGHOFF
Provenance:

Watson Art Galleries, Montreal
Mrs. J.H. Magor, Montreal
Private Collection

Literature:

J. Russell Harper, Krieghoff, Key Porter Books, Toronto, 1999, page 38, and page 39, plate 34 for a very closely related work entitled Ice Harvest in the collection of the Musée du Québec, dating to ca. 1847-50.

Dennis Reid with essays by Ramsay Cook and François-Marc Gagnon, Krieghoff: Images of Canada, Douglas & McIntyre, Toronto/Vancouver, 1999, page 157, page 37 for a related lithograph with watercolour of Ice Cutting, c. 1849 (Collection of Peter Winkworth, London), reproduced in colour and page 159, Figure 22 for the related oil Carting Ice, c. 1850 (The Thomson Collection), reproduced.

Note:

In a 1939 letter to Mrs. J.H. Magor, art dealer William Watson writes of this lot: “This is a perfect example of the master’s art, and has one of his finest skies. The scene as you know is near home, as it was painted near Krieghoff’s own house at Longueuil, and shows the St. Lawrence reaching to Montreal.”

While not always entirely successful in capturing in paint the nature of the breed of horse used in the early days of Quebec habitant life, Krieghoff’s depiction of these shaggy equines as rendered in paintings such as Ice Harvest received a very warm critical reception. Harper writes: “No paintings give a better idea of the little canadien horse developed by the habitants than do Krieghoff’s pictures of ice-cutting.”

Ramsay Cook continues: “Sleighs and horses together reveal Krieghoff’s perception of class and ethnic differences in mid-century Canada. The horse that he obviously enjoyed painting was a distinctive breed known as the canadien. A rather small horse with powerful legs and shoulders, broad hooves, and heavy mane and tail, this animal descended from the Norman and Breton horses introduced into New France in the Seventeenth Century.”

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 51
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.