A Few Favourites from Our Old Masters & 19th Century Art Auction

One of our final auctions of 2025, our Old Masters & 19th Century Art auction presents a curated selection of works from the 17th century onward. To mark the occasion, we asked members of our Fine Art team to select their favourites. Here’s what Goulven Le Morvan, Alicia Bojkov and Holly Yake selected.⁠

⁠Looking to take one of these home? Bidding closes on December 11, beginning at 2 pm ET. ⁠

GOULVEN LE MORVAN, director of Fine Art

Admittedly a tough choice for the head of the department, Goulven Le Morvan’s three favourites from the Old Masters & 19th Century Art art include lots 18, 16 and 3. Per Le Morvan, lot 18, a 17th/18th century Madonna originating from the Perugia school, was “probably made after Carlo Maratta. This scene of the Holy Family with the deep blues and pink of the Madonna mirrors the colours of the Italian Renaissance.” During that period, red and blue are most associated with Jesus and Mary. Both hues were costly to produce, particularly blue. During the Renaissance, blue became closely associated with the Virgin, denoting purity, virtue and heaven, while red was closely tied to Jesus, signifying love, power, and Christ’s blood. Contemporary viewers would be well versed in this visual language, and immediately recognize the symbolism.

Lot 16, Still Life with Hare and Fruits from the Italian school, is a classic choice, with Le Morvan noting that “still lives are always enticing and go beautifully in a contemporary interior. There is something timeless, luxurious and serene in them, and this specific composition is a standout.”

His final choice, lot 3, is a dining scene from the Genoese school. His reasoning: “this small Genoese School piece, executed on laid paper, showcases a rapid but assured technique. The artist’s quick, precise gestures reveal how masterfully he translated his idea onto the page.” With an accessible estimate of $500-700, this sketch would be an excellent entry into the classical market.

Goulven Le Morvan serves as Waddington’s Director of Fine Art, and is based in Montréal. Originally from Brest, France, he holds a master’s degree in Art History from the Sorbonne in Paris. Before joining Waddington’s, he directed the Editions department at a Paris auction house. Since arriving in Canada, Le Morvan has applied his deep expertise to build Waddington’s Editions, Modern, Post-War & Contemporary Art, to encompass both Canadian and International art offerings.

ALICIA BOJKOV, associate specialist, international art

Alicia Bojkov’s selections from our December Old Masters & 19th Century Art auction include lots 79, 9 and 19. Lot 79, Louis-Simon Cabaillot-Lassalle’s charming Girl with Goat, stands out to Bojkov: “The expressive faces of both the girl and her goat give the viewer insight into their close and amusing relationship.” Cabaillot-Lassalle’s reputation was cemented in 1850, when he presented three paintings at the Paris Salon that earned him acclaim, and would secure his spot at Salons for the rest of his life. Notable works include commissions by the French government, particularly Floods of 1856 at Tarascon. At the urging of Pierre Édouard Frère, he began working on genre scenes, focusing on children at play. This gift for depicting youth can be evidenced in Girl with Goat.

Lot 9, Charles Haslewood Shannon’s Classical Study would make an elegant edition to the home, with Bojkov noting that “the semi-circular shape of this red chalk drawing on buff paper begs for the dynamic scene to be fully realized in a grandiose rotunda interior.”

Her final choice is lot 19, Pink Tulips, after Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp. As she sees it, “diverting from the calm still life, this charming panel can barely contain the movement bursting from these wild, pink tulips.” The painting depicts a spray of what are referred to as “broken tulips”– this unique coloration being at the centre of the famous “Tulip Mania.” At the time Cuyp was painting, Holland was one of the world’s richest nations, boasting the highest per capita income globally from 1600 to around 1720. The height of Tulip Mania was February 1637, when Cuyp was aged 41 – a perfect age to observe and then paint these coveted flowers.

Alicia Bojkov holds both a BAH and MA in Art History from the University of Toronto focusing on Modernism and early-20th-century photography and collage. Before joining Waddington’s, Alicia worked in museums and galleries, including positions at the Gardiner Museum, Aga Khan Museum and as Associate Director at the Corkin Gallery. She is also an arts writer, contributing to publications like Inuit Art Quarterly. This experience has given her a keen eye, making her a valuable resource for collectors seeking expert guidance at Waddington’s.

HOLLY YAKE, FINE ART ADMINSTRATOR

As someone who is involved in the full cycle of client relationships, Holly Yake sees the works consigned to us from their arrival at our gallery, during the cataloguing stage, helping to hang the previews, and meeting with both consignors and buyers throughout the auction process.

Her first favourite is lot 42, Evening Light – Loch Tay, Perthshire, 1910 by William R.C. Watson. Watson came from a noted artistic family, producing three generations of painters dedicated to images of animals. Yake picked this one because “I love the family dynamics of this work, one sheep is watching over the others, like a protector, while the others seem to share loving looks.”

Her second selection is lot 89, Birds and Lemons, from the studio of Miguel Canals. Yake notes that “the colour contrast of this work really pops! The brightness of the lemons on the black background seems intense at first, but the flowers, while vibrant, seem to smooth or soften the effect, and the birds give the work a playful feel.”

Her third choice is lot 50, Marie-François Firmin-Girard’s Fishing Along the Riverbank. In Yake’s words, “the ever-changing expression on the woman’s face draws me in and I keep trying to imagine what she’s thinking. I also love the little dog running on the path in the background!”

Holly Yake serves as Fine Art Administrator at Waddington’s, covering both Canadian Fine Art and International Art. She plays an important coordinating role behind the scenes — helping to facilitate auctions, manage administrative and client-service tasks, assisting clients throughout the auction process, and supporting the specialists who handle consignments and sales.

about the auction

Featuring a curated selection of works from the 17th century onward, highlights from the Old Masters & 19th Century Art auction include a Genoese School drawing, and a delicate School of Perugia Madonna, oil on canvas. Other standouts include three works on paper by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, a work from the Studio of Miguel Canals, James Fairman’s dramatic view of Jerusalem, and works by Eugène Feyen, Bernard de Hoog, Évariste Carpentier, Briton Rivière, Clifton Tomson, and Marie-François Firmin-Girard.

Please note that this auction begins to close on December 11, 2025, beginning at 2 pm ET.

View the digital catalogue.

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