Please note our offices will be closed from Friday March 29 through Monday April 1 for Easter. Local pick-ups will start on Tuesday April 2.

LOT 189

1891 - 1941
Canadian

Honey Harbour
oil on board
signed and on verso titled and dated 1933 on the Hart House exhibition label
8 1/8 x 10 1/4 in, 20.6 x 26 cm

Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000 CAD

Sold for: $70,200

Preview at: Heffel Vancouver

PROVENANCE
A gift from the Artist to Dr. F.W.W. Hipwell, Toronto
By descent to the present Private Collection, Ontario

LITERATURE
Michael Bliss, Banting: A Biography, 1993, page 26

EXHIBITED
Hart House, University of Toronto, Exhibition of Paintings of the late Sir Frederick Banting, February 13 - March 1, 1943


Inscribed on verso by the artist: "To Freddie H Aug 26 / 33, 'Many Happy Returns' as the girl said" and also inscribed "Dr. Hipwell, 172 Rosedale Heights Dr., Toronto"

Dr. Frederick Banting, world-famous as the co-discoverer of insulin, was also a talented artist. While practicing as a medical doctor, his interest in culture drew him to the Toronto Arts and Letters Club where, among others, he met Group of Seven artist A.Y. Jackson. They became friends, and Banting joined Jackson on some important sketching trips to the Arctic, Quebec and Northern Ontario, resulting in significant works for both artists. This richly colourful, atmospheric 1933 work is comparable in style and execution to some of the best sketches that Jackson painted in Georgian Bay in the mid-1930s. Honey Harbour is at the south-east end of Georgian Bay, and is dotted with countless small islands and outcrops.

This painting was a gift from Banting to Dr. Fred Hipwell, his first cousin and friend, someone who “was, and always would be, his greatest chum.” Dr. Hipwell and his wife were intimately involved in the progress of Banting and Dr. Charles Best in the early 1920s, as they lived near the laboratory where the discovery of insulin was made.


Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000 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.