POETIC PORTRAIT

Expert advice on value of art

Q My father purchased this painting over 45 years ago. She is over 100 years old. My parents and I believed it to be a painting of Pauline Johnson which is signed “E. Blain.” She’s approximately 183 by 102 cm. There’s also the very interesting shadow where her right arm position seems to have been changed. I would appreciate your assistance in our mystery. Both of my parents died, so anything you find out will be very meaningful.

Kathy, Waterloo, Ont.

A Emily Pauline Johnson (18611913), also known as Tekahionwake, is a famous and important Canadian personality. Of Mohawk and English heritage, she was a poet and performer who strove, through both these art forms, to bridge cultural knowledge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

Her book of poetry, Flint and Feather, published in 1912, was a huge success.

Pauline’s birth home, Chiefswood, is located near Tuscarora (now Middleport) close to Brantford, Ont. She was an avid canoeist which your painting projects with her depicted standing in a canoe — the pose based on a photograph.

At the end of her career she settled in Vancouver and spent much time paddling around Stanley Park where she was buried and a monument is erected in her memory. Accurately depicted are some of the cultural artifacts she inherited and wore during her poetry recitals, including the bear claw necklace and beadwork.

The artist might be implying a pending extension of her arm in keeping with the moonlit cloudy sky. This was most likely done circa 1915 as a tribute by an unlisted artist possibly as a commission by one of her admirers.

With the era of reconciliation, timing is right for this to be worth $2,000.

Q I’ve had this wooden item for years. An antiques person thought it might be what they used to hand mail off from a moving train as they entered a town. It is 1.3 cm wide and 86 cm long. For now, thanks. Murray, Kitchener, Ont.

A You have a rare newspaper stick. They are meant to display newspapers on a rack, often in libraries. A patented 1907 beech wood example is still made today, in Odenwald, Germany.

Other types are five-sided and essentially round — with slots along their length to insert the paper. The racks resemble quilt or clothes drying racks and each stick can be lifted out separately with each newspaper.

Yours is designed with two pieces of hinged oak with a steel strap that clamps the opened newspaper in the middle with the front and back pages showing. It will date circa 1900. A buyer should expect to pay at least $125 for your unusual find.

Q I have inherited an old Friesen clock from my father who was from the town of Heerenveen in Friesland, a province in northern Netherlands where these clock styles seem to be particular to. He bought it in the early 1950s and told me it was over 200 years old.

There seems to be a selection of modern copies of Friesen clocks available on the internet. It requires winding twice a day and still runs and keeps time but the strike is off. It is roughly 91 cm tall plus the statues on top.

I want to downsize and wonder if there is a good market for this old clock. Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you.

Ron, Ottawa

A Your clock is based on a style that might rival 200 years but it dates between 1890 and about 1925 before production of these increased due to popularity.

The medallion at the bottom is often the same, as are the trumpeting angels finials. The panel with the medallion can be removed to reveal the pendulum. The hand-painted scenes on these clock faces vary. It appears that one of the angels has lost the end of a trumpet — a very minor flaw.

Your clock is in good condition while showing signs of age and the strike can be easily adjusted. It carries a value of $500 but will not be easily sold with so many others available to compete with it. John Sewell is an antiques and fine art appraiser. To submit an item to his column, go to the “Contact John” page at www.johnsewellantiques.ca. Please measure your piece, say when and how you got it, what you paid and list any identifying marks. A high-resolution jpeg photo must also be included. (Only email submissions accepted.)

* Appraisal values are estimates only.*