Chief James Beaver — Three Deer in the Hills

Canadian. Oil on canvas painted by Chief James Beaver (1846-1925) of the Six Nations Reserve in Brantford, Ontario. The picture shows three deer on a hillside drinking from a stream with stylized trees in the background. Regarded as one of the first North American Indigenous artists to paint in the European manner, and known as Ontario's "Six Nations Artist", Beaver was self-taught and a jack-of-all-trades, travelling the Grand River from Caledonia to Brantford in the 1890s painting houses and buildings for a living. He also travelled out West with carnivals, where he did several landscape pictures of the local scenery. Institutional records note that only about 45 pieces of his artwork are known to exist, making any verified survival highly important to collectors and museums. Late 19th century. Signed, "James Beaver", lower left.

Estimate:£1,065.24

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