Maud Lewis paintings fetch hefty prices at London auction

A painting by artist Maud Lewis titled 'Horse and Buggy.' (Source: Woolley and Wallis Salerooms)

It was a big day at a London, U.K., auction house for those with a passion for Nova Scotia artist Maud Lewis.

After all was said and done, the gavel came down today at Woolley and Wallis on two Lewis paintings for a combined total of £62,500 or about $105,000.

Both paintings sold to a private Canadian buyer.

The first, an oil on board titled Horse and Buggy, was painted by Lewis in 1965. It went for nearly $58,000.

The second oil on board was also painted in 1965 by Lewis and titled, Boats on Digby Bay. It went for just over $46,000.

Each painting is signed by the artist.

Both paintings were part of the Ian Murray Collection.

According to Woolley and Wallis, Ian Murray was born in Scotland in 1928, but fell in love with Canada as a young man, becoming a citizen in 1957.

He was known as a great supporter of Canadian artists and an avid collector of their work.

The auction house says he owned a collection of cars, and socialised with the likes of Noel Coward, Ian Fleming, Princess Margaret and Elvis Presley, from whom he once bought a car.

The sale of each painting included what’s referred to as a premium, which is basically a commission that the buyer pays on top of the hammer price.

This is standard with all auctions, and for Woolley and Wallis, their premium is currently 25 per cent.

For instance, the painting Boats on Digby Bay sold for almost $37,000, the premium was about $9,000, which combined cost the buyer just over $46,000.

Originally, the Lewis paintings were put on auction for much lower prices. Horse and Buggy was expected to fetch up to £6,000 or just over $10,000, while Boats on Digby Bay was originally estimated to sell for up to £5,000 or nearly $8,400.

Born in 1901, Lewis was a Canadian folk artist from Nova Scotia who lived most of her life in poverty in a small house in the community of Marshalltown.

She is known for, among other things, her paintings of landscapes, animals, and flowers.

She died July 30, 1970.