Banting painting from a laboratory where insulin was discovered costs over $ 300,000

Nobel laureate scientist Frederick Banting added another achievement to his illustrious resume – this time, posthumously, as an artist.

Banting set a new auction record for his works Wednesday with the sale of his 1925 painting from the University of Toronto Lab, worth $ 313,250, in which he discovered the # 39; insulin.

Considered the only interior scene known to the painter-doctor, "The Lab" surpassed his pre-sale estimate of about $ 30,000 by more than 10 times at the Heffel Auction in Toronto.

The inscription indicates that Banting painted the oil on board during a winter's night in the laboratory where, only a few years ago, he and Charles Best had made the medical breakthrough of 1921 that had revolutionized the treatment of diabetes.

Best known for his scientific prowess, Banting has been recognized in art circles for his landscape painting skills, earning him the friendship of group A. of the Seven Jackson Group.

British Columbia artist EJ Hughes and Quebec abstract expressionist Jean Paul Riopelle led Wednesday's auction with large-scale canvases that grossed more than $ 2 million, more than doubling since last sale of these pieces by Heffel in the early 2000s.

The works of all the original members of the Group of Seven were represented in the Fall Collection, including Lawren Harris' Mountain Sketch XC, which broke the $ 1 million mark; Arthur Lismer's troop and tug carrier, Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia, sold for $ 781,250 and A.Y. "November, Georgian Bay" of Jackson, which was $ 631,250.

Mary Pratt, realistic on the east coast, with Preserving Summer – Black Currant Jam, sold for $ 133,250. Her ex-husband, Chris Pratt, also exceeded expectations with "House in August", which raised $ 253,250.