SIGNED ‘CHIEF BEAVER’
Painting a Canadian art find
Q This oil-on-canvas painting is one of a pair, both signed “Chief Beaver,” and measuring 55 by 90 centimetres (22 by 35½ inches). My research shows there was a Six Nations artist named Chief Beaver, a Cayuga Iroquois who lived and painted between 1846 and 1925. The paintings have been restored and reframed, and are in fair-to-good condition. They were acquired by a German-Canadian club in Kitchener, Ont., in the 1920s, and they hung there until the club closed in 1938. Assets were distributed to club members, including my father. I discovered the paintings in the family home attic and would like them valued for insurance purposes. We would also consider instructing our trustee to donate them to a museum. Carl, Kitchener, Ont.
A Chief James Beaver is certainly known to have painted landscapes and other subjects around Ontario and New York, although his greater fame comes from being a noted woodcarver. He is, as your research suggests,
considered the first Iroquois or Six Nations artist to have worked in a European style of painting. He taught himself to paint while growing up in the Brantford-Cayuga area of Ontario. The naive but charming quality of his work places it in the category of folk art, and these romantic landscapes will raise much interest among collectors of Canadian art. The pair are worth about $3,000. The Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford would be a good candidate for donation.
Q I bought this item at a garage sale more than 20 years ago for $3, and think it might be a cigar ashtray. There is a mark on the bottom, but I cannot distinguish what it is. It is 11.5 cm high and 21.5 cm wide (4 ½ by 8 ½ inches). Thank you for any information you can provide. Gloria, Moncton, N.B.
A Your piece was made by German potter Simon Peter Gerz I
(so-called to distinguish it from another, unrelated, potter with the same name). Founded in 1856, the company continues to this day, although it is now owned by Domex. It is most famed for making traditional figural beer steins, many in stoneware with the coloured relief decoration we see on your ashtray. They also created advertising pieces for breweries. The impressed mark of a stein inside a triangle of letters reading “Made in Germany” and “Gerz” was used after 1949, providing some clue to the age of your ashtray. It’s an uncommon piece in perfect condition, and it would likely fetch about $90.
Q I inherited this table that was always used in the hallway of my parents’ home in southwestern Ontario. I quite like it because it seems unique. It’s about 72 cm high, 71 cm wide and 51 cm deep (28 ½ by 28 by 20 inches). Can you tell me more about it and if it’s worth something? Norma, Baden, Ont.
A You have an unusual example of what’s normally called a parlour or centre table, used in the centre of a room for social gatherings. Such tables were created by many manufacturers in southwestern Ontario, Quebec and adjoining U.S. states, and all strove to be different, to catch public interest. There is also an outside chance your table may have been made after hours by a cabinetmaker, making it truly one of a kind. The purpose of the lower shelf is a mystery but wonderful in design, with its matching gadrooned edge to the top above. It’s typical for the era of the 1890s or early 1900s, with the use of oak and possibly ash. The condition is what buyers want — ready to use and with beautiful eye appeal. Its value is $175.