Cornelius Krieghoff

Private Collection, Quebec (acquired circa 1929)

Private Collection, Toronto (acquired by descent from the above circa 1986)

Acquired by descent from the above in 2014 by the present owner

Cornelius Krieghoff is a Dutch-Canadian artist best known for his depictions of Canada's landscape and inhabitants. The artist moved to Quebec in 1853, at which point he began painting the surrounding region with great attention to detail and vibrant application of color. Canoe Portage, dated 1861, is typical of the artist's devotion to the customs of Native American people. Dense with brightly colored foliage and idyllic in its rendition of the natural landscape, the present work showcases a figure returning from a canoe outing.

Canoe Portage was acquired by a Quebec-based private collector in the late 1920s, before descended through the family for nearly one hundred years. It is the work's first appearance at public auction, and a subject emblematic of Krieghoff's celebrated artistic approach.