1815 - 1872
Canadian
The Bush Road, Winter
oil on canvas on board
signed, titled Bush Road in Winter on a plaque and dated 1865 and on verso titled on the Laing Galleries label and inscribed "6033" and "918"
13 1/2 x 17 1/4 in, 34.3 x 43.8 cm
Estimate: $50,000 - $70,000 CAD
Sold for: $67,250
Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave
PROVENANCE
H.W. Mara, Toronto
Laing Galleries, Toronto
By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver
LITERATURE
Marius Barbeau, Cornelius Krieghoff: Pioneer Painter of North America, 1934, listed page 82; listed and described page 112
EXHIBITED
Art Gallery of Toronto, 1934
From 1853 to 1863, Cornelius Krieghoff lived in Quebec City, and he often depicted scenes of horses and sleighs traversing rural communities and winter landscapes. Krieghoff followed the seventeenth-century Dutch tradition of painting the daily life of all classes, with an emphasis on Quebec’s rural habitant population.
In this dynamic composition, three habitants are traveling in a traîneau à batons, or stick sled, pulled by a distinctive Quebec breed of horse called the canadien, small but powerful. The driver guides the trotting horse on the snowy path while his passengers casually converse, one man facing us with a pipe in his mouth, his face red from the cold. Kreighoff depicted the fine details of the men’s distinctive dress – their colourful sashes, the various hats and the Hudson’s Bay blanket coat of the driver. He also depicted the unique harness of the canadien, with a red ribbon jauntily attached to its bridle. The speed at which the sled is moving is emphasized by the forward-leaning tree above it and the movement of the men’s coats. The landscape that surrounds them is dramatic, with cloud formations towering against a blue sky above the cleft in the forested hills. The Bush Road, Winter, both a striking landscape and a record of habitant life, is an inventive and vital early Canadian scene.
Estimate: $50,000 - $70,000 CAD
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our
Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the
condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.