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LOT 142

CGP CSGA CSPWC
1882 - 1953
Canadian

Green Woods and Sumach
oil on canvas
on verso titled, dated September 1945 and inscribed "David Milne" and "0-637" by Douglas Duncan
12 x 16 in, 30.5 x 40.6 cm

Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000 CAD

Sold for: $28,125

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Douglas Duncan Picture Loan Society, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto
Private Collection, Vancouver
By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver
Sold sale of Heffel Fine Art Auction House, Wednesday, December 02, 2020, lot 142

LITERATURE
David Milne Jr. and David P. Silcox, David B. Milne: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Volume 2: 1929 - 1953, 1998, page 874, reproduced page 874, catalogue #405.69


In 1945, David Milne was living in the small Ontario town of Uxbridge, having moved there in 1940, during the war years. Milne worked steadily - his domestic life was happy, and he lived cushioned from the outside world. During this time, Milne usually made a fall trip to the Haliburton area of Ontario near Coboconk with his wife Kathleen and son David, which gave him the opportunity to paint wilderness subjects such as this. On this 1945 trip, he stayed an extra three weeks after Kathleen and David had returned home.

Milne’s letter to Kathleen from September 30, 1945, describes his sketching sortie the day this oil was produced:



Yesterday on my way back from Coboconk I went round by the road……In the afternoon I painted where I painted last year. The trees are not as bright but the sumach is very good. Left my paint box and easel in a cedar tree. Thought I would paint there tomorrow and save some work. It is quite a long rough walk carrying the outfit.



This bright, animated oil is very fluid, like his watercolours during this time, and the red sumach is, indeed, “very good.”


Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000 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.