Welcome to the third week of Advent! We are enjoying your visits to the gallery and your interest in our Early Canadian Masterpieces Exhibition. We hope you enjoy our selection of treasures for our third Advent Gift Guide with wonderful ideas for your holiday gatherings and celebrations, along with seasonally inspired paintings.

This week we are showcasing a unique set of 17 connected hand coloured copperplate engraved Augsburg roundels circa 1732, two lovely Danish works, and a selection of treasures.

Our 2025 calendar has been delayed due to the postal strike - we invite you to visit through December 21 to pick up your calendar and complimentary greeting cards, and to savour home-made treats with mulled cider glögg.

Seventeen connected, hand coloured copperplate engraved roundels by Abraham Remshard, printed in Augsburg circa 1732, each depicting a scene from Protestant history, together in a 19th century circular ebonized frame. Size in inches (with frame) 13.4 h x 13.4 w. J21032

The engravings depict the historic expulsion of Protestants from Salzburg, and their emigration to Prussian Lithuania, at the invitation of King Frederick William I. Each scene numbered (1-17) and with a bannered inscription above, some inscriptions are of a historic nature and some are Biblical. Engravings No. 1-17 Inscriptions translated from the German.

1. Pilgrims and strangers on the earth. Hebrews 1:14.
2. For the strength of healing words.
3. A teacher unto righteousness.
4. For your sake we are slain. Psalms 44:22.
5. The letters are serious and strong.
6. My blood is drink indeed.
7. They do not try to resist.
8. They study the scriptures daily.
9. I must also lead these.
10. The word of God endures forever. Isaiah 40:8.
11. Go away from them.
12. He guides us in the right way.
13. Come you blessed of the Lord.
14. Possible translated as preaching from the roof.
15. We will go into the house of the Lord. Psalms 122:1.
16. The Lord has led us here.
17. At Thy word, I will let down the net. Luke 5:5.

*William Thomas Fripp (Canadian 1864-1931) ‘April Skies’, watercolour, signed lower left “T.W.Fripp” (under mat), with plaque on back*. *Size in inches: 14 h x 21 w (with frame 23 h x 29 ½ w). J21067*

Thomas William Fripp (Canadian 1864-1931)

Thomas William Fripp was born in London to an artistic family. His grandfather was Captain Nicholas Pocock, one of the founders of the Old Watercolour Society in 1804, and his father George Arthur Fripp was an established watercolour and oil painter, like his uncle Alfred Downey Fripp. Thomas attended the St. John’s Wood Art School in 1883 and also studied in France and Italy, and was accepted at the Royal Academy in London. In 1893 he immigrated to British Columbia where he worked as a farmer and where he married Gertrude Maude Muriel in 1897. The couple settled in Vancouver in 1904 where he worked for two years in a photography studio before turning to painting full time. Fripp became known for his watercolours depicting the Rocky Mountains and landscapes of the Pacific. He was a principle founder of the British Columbia Society of Artists in 1908, served as president of the BC Society of Fine Arts, and was a founding member of the British Columbia Art League.

Diminutive George II sterling silver baluster shaped brandy warmer with wooden handle, hallmarked for London 1733 and maker William Justis, the front engraved with a crest of a fox. Size in inches: 3 h x 6 w x 2 ¾ d. C21005

The unique baluster shape of the brandy warmer releases the flavours and aroma of the spirit, the single handle made of wood to provide insulation from the heat. This rare particular example has a unique diminutive size.

*George III sterling silver tankard of baluster form with a scrolled handle decorated with an acanthus leaf thumb piece and a lion monogram, London 1764, maker SC*, *Size in inches: 4 h x 3 w x 4 d. C21000*

Tankards were originally formed with a hinged lid and were exceptionally large by today’s drinking glass standards, holding several pints in order to share. With time lids were no longer necessary and smaller pint and 1/2 pint mugs became common. Often engraved or decorated in the latest fashion, they were sometimes awarded as prizes or gifted as christening mugs.

‘Winter Hunting Scene’, oil on board, unsigned 19th century Dutch School depicting hunting scene
Size in inches: 13 h x 18 ½ w (18 h x 23 3/8 w) J20981

*Famille verte porcelain vase, decorated with flowers and insects, 18th/19th century. Size in inches: 18 ¾ (includes wooden base) x 9 d. D21138*

Chinese white jade carved melon form snuff bottle, carved as a melon with incised ribs and leaf on side, well hollowed, with later jadeite and glass stopper, on carved wooden stand, 18th century. Size in inches: 2 ¼ h (2 ½” h with stopper, 3" with base) x 1 ½ d. D21078

Snuff is a powdered tobacco flavoured with aromatic spices which is sniffed, or ‘snuffed’ into the nasal cavity. The name came from the shortened form of the Dutch word snuftabak, from the root words meaning sniff and tobacco. As addictive as smoking but without the smoke, snuff was thought to be more medicinal and thus more moral to use. Snuff originated with tobacco in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the seventeenth century. The exact timing of its introduction to China is unknown, but by the seventeenth century it was a regular import. Although smoking tobacco was illegal in China during the Qing dynasty, snuff was permitted, as it was considered a remedy for common illnesses such as colds and stomach ailments. Originally produced only for the Emperor, it eventually spread from the court through the upper class and by the end of the 17th century and through the 18th century had become part of social ritual. Like other medicines, snuff was transported in small bottles.

Snuff bottles became exquisite works of art representing status and wealth, and were made from many fine materials including ivory, horn, porcelain, precious metals, fine woods, glass and a wide variety of semi-precious stones including jade. The bulbous form would have the inside carved out, then a stopper inserted into the mouth with a small spoon attached for extracting the snuff. Many snuff bottles were left unadorned and devoid of decoration, others elaborately carved or painted. The finest bottles would have the interiors intricately carved out leaving only a thin layer of material for the wall. Made by craftsmen to be touched and held, snuff bottles have a pleasant tactile quality and sit comfortably in the palm of your hand. Fine snuff bottles have become highly collectible both privately and by museums worldwide. Read more here.

‘A Swiss Lake with Mountains in the Distance’, oil on canvas, laid on cardboard, signed and dated lower right "P. Monsted 1889"
Size in inches: 6 x 10 ½ (with frame 12 ¾ h x 17 ¼ w). J20726

Peder M. Mønsted (Danish 1859-1941)

Popular throughout Europe and Africa throughout his career, Peder Mønsted clearly established himself as Denmark's greatest landscape artist for his supreme technical abilities, strong compositions and meditative peacefulness. His brushwork varied from very loose and impressionistic to a neatly detailed attention that served to heighten the sensation of presence. Read more about Peder Monsted here.

*‘Seascape with Ships off the Coast of Euboea, Greece’, oil on canvas, signed, dated and inscribed lower right. Size in inches: 10 ¼ h x 17 ¼ w (with frame 15 h x 22 ½ w). J20734*

Vilhelm Arnesen (Danish 1865-1948)

Born in Flensburg in 1865 to a sea Captain, Vilhem Arnesen was introduced to marine subject matter at an early age. He received his formal training at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen, and was given the honour of accompanying the Danish Royal family on their travels abroad. He made numerous sea voyages over his lifetime, traveling extensively throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, and East Asia. He quickly became a renowned marine painter and received many medals.

German Rudolstadt Volkstedt factory porcelain figural group of seven children dancing, minor chips and repairs, marked with crown over monogram for Rudolstadt Volkstedt, produced between 1887 and 1918. Size in inches: 7 ½ h x 10 w x 5 ½ d in. ZE20998

WILLARD MORSE MITCHELL (Canadian 1881-1955)

This miniature watercolour in its original hand carved frame, is inscribed on reverse and describes the Vauquelin Statue in the heart of old Montreal. The statue commemorates the last effort of the naval power of New France and the gallant commander of the Atalante who was driven ashore below Quebec by an English fleet, where he was forced to strike his colors. Opposite this statue is a memorial to Lord Nelson, the famous English Admiral.

Willard Mitchell was born in Saint John, New Brunswick and was active in Montreal as an artist and architect from 1927 to 1943. Working in oil, watercolour and ink, he is known for his miniature landscapes and streetscapes of rural Quebec and Montreal. He carved his own frames and often placed a brief note on the back of the framed scenes. His watercolours were well done and were well received, often as popular gifts. He travelled to Nova Scotia, Italy and Greece and exhibited with the Art Association of Montreal in 1927 and 1928. Mitchell died at the age of 74 and was survived by his wife Ethel Corinna Harris Mitchell.

See more works by Willard Mitchell here.