Maud Lewis painting goes for $9,200

By Lawrence Powell

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

An historic diary and a Maud Lewis painting sold for high bids at a recent auction in Annapolis Royal.

The Maud Lewis folk art painting of a schooner at dockside in winter sold for a very respectable $9,200 after spirited bidding that began at half that amount during the Blain Henshaw Auction July 22.

"It meant a lot to achieve $9,200 for a Lewis painting in the area so close to where she lived and painted," Henshaw said after the auction. "It demonstrates that her work is respected and valued, and overall, that strong prices can be achieved for good art outside so-called major markets."

A framed watercolour of boats for sale at Delap's Cove by Valley native Tom Forrestall sold for $2,800, while an early David Lacey watercolour went for $270. An oil painting by the late Don Scott of Windsor sold for $540.

A pre-confederation diary by the reverend William Merrick, the rector of Berthier, Quebec that covered the period 1861-1881 was sold to an absentee bidder in the Ottawa area for $800. The diary contained notes on the assassinations of US President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and Canadian politician D'Arcy McGee in 1868.

This was Henshaw's second annual catalogue auction of selected items from Nova Scotia estates.

"We plan to offer another catalogue auction next July, with the hope and expectation that it can become an ongoing annual summer event in the Annapolis Valley, " Henshaw said.