An auction at Christies in London has set a new benchmark for Canadian art sales. The art works were amassed by London-born, Canadian raised, collector Peter Winkworth before his death in 2005.  Christies had estimated the value of some 325 lots of Canadian art at $1.7 to $2.5 million. The auction sold nearly 95 per cent of the lots for almost $6.5 million.

Among the art works sold were two vividly rendered early 19th century oil paintings of  Mi’kmaq Indians hunting Canadian geese in either Nova Scotia or New Brunswick.  They were painted by an unkown artist and  were sold to an unidentified Canadian buyer for $992,000, more than 13 times the high end estimate.