Sold for: $21,240

PROVENANCE
Kenneth G. Heffel Fine Art Inc., Vancouver
Peter and Joanne Brown Collection, Vancouver, acquired from the above in 1986

Cornelius Krieghoff’s depictions of moccasin sellers are sought-after subjects in his oeuvre. Here, we see a woman intent on her journey, traveling on long snowshoes across the ice, with a variety of colourful moccasins hanging like a skein of trout by her side. In the background are the huge, up-ended slabs of ice formed in winter on the St. Lawrence River. She is wrapped in a distinctive three-point Hudson’s Bay Company blanket with a green header, which she pulls tightly for warmth over her shoulders, puffing on a pipe clenched firmly in her teeth. These particular blankets were heavy enough for winter use and were favoured by First Nations people, since they provided excellent winter camouflage while hunting. Our moccasin seller has a basket on a tumpline slung from her forehead, and the load in it, wrapped in a green blanket, complements the green of the point blanket’s stripe as well as the distant flag. It is Krieghoff’s attention to the details of Canadiana that gives his work such an authentic, sincere voice.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars