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LOT 116

1815 - 1872
Canadian

The Moose Hunt
oil on canvas
signed, dated 1860 and inscribed "Quebec" and on verso titled on the Dominion Gallery label and titled Hunting Moose on the Galerie Claude Lafitte label and inscribed "KR"
13 x 18 in, 33 x 45.7 cm

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

Sold for: $61,250

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Dominion Gallery, Montreal
Galerie Claude Lafitte, Montreal
Private Collection, Quebec

LITERATURE
J. Russell Harper, Krieghoff, 1979, page 108, and an 1859 canvas of a hunting scene including the artist entitled Death of the Moose at Sunset, Lake Famine South of Quebec, collection of the Glenbow Museum, reproduced page 102


Scenes of Indigenous peoples and Canadian sportsmen hunting caribou, deer and moose in the wilds of Quebec were a significant part of Cornelius Krieghoff’s oeuvre. Krieghoff’s friend John Budden introduced him to wealthy Quebec sportsmen, and these contacts opened up a new range of subjects for him. Krieghoff himself enjoyed hunting and was known as a fine marksman. Russell Harper noted that “moose hunting was the most princely of all game sports in Eastern Canada, and Krieghoff depicted it in several elaborate canvases. In one, hunters fire a volley at a bull moose and its mate struggling through the deep snow of the Montmorency River valley.”

For the Indigenous hunters in this painting, a moose kill would provide food for many, ensuring their survival in the winter. In this striking tableau, stunning mountains and a blue sky with softly rolling clouds are the backdrop for the drama below. Krieghoff’s fine sense of composition is on full display—the open valley flooded with light highlights the male moose looking apprehensively over its shoulder at the man firing his rifle, followed by another with hatchet at the ready. The Moose Hunt is an outstanding example of Krieghoff’s richly detailed tableau scenes.


Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

All prices are in Canadian Dollars


Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.