BOULDER, Colo. – Assessing antiquities may be “all Greek” to beginners and even some mid-level collectors, but any apprehensions can be set aside when pieces have been vetted by trusted auction-house experts like Bob and Teresa Dodge. Co-owners of internationally respected Artemis Gallery, Bob and Teresa have always placed an emphasis on scrupulous research and uncompromising authentication, and it shows in each and every auction they produce. Their next 100% curated offering of pedigreed ancient antiquities, Russian icons, ethnographic, Pre-Columbian and Asian art will take place on March 15, with absentee and Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.
All items offered in this outstanding auction event are unconditionally guaranteed to be authentic, as described in the catalog, and legal to acquire according to federal guidelines. A certificate of authenticity will accompany each purchase, and all goods will be packed in house by the gallery’s own staff to ensure a stress-free experience for all buyers.
Ancient Greece commands the main spotlight of the 326-lot auction. Lot 12E (shown at top of page), a magnificent Greek Apulian red-figure volute-krater or mixing bowl, is attributed to the Strotgen Painter, circa 340-330 BCE. Of monumental scale, the elegant vessel is decorated with extensive iconography and decoration. It comes with provenance from the James Farmer collection and Christie’s New York (Dec. 7, 1995), and is similar in scale and decoration to another example that sold at Christie’s in 2011. At 31½ inches high, this grand artwork could fetch $35,000-$50,000 on March 15.
One of the most appealing Greek ceramic artworks in the sale is Lot 12B (shown above), a circa 350 BCE Apulian ceramic fishplate decorated via the red-figure technique with the image of three large and wonderfully detailed fish swimming around a central sauce recess. Previously auctioned at Christie’s, it is estimated at $8,000-$12,000.
A spectacular Egyptian bronze figure of Osiris, god of the Underworld, is entered as Lot 1D (shown above). Created circa 1070 to 332 BCE, this heavy votive figure may have been used by priests in religious rituals or possibly displayed in the home of a very wealthy individual. Standing 10.2 inches high, the figure was formerly owned by Albert J. Zaloom, a businessman of Middle Eastern descent who assembled a collection of antiquities, ancient medals and coins from the 1970s through 1990s. An important, published piece, it comes to auction with a $60,000-$90,000 estimate.
From the period of Egypt’s 26th Dynasty, circa 672-525 BCE, Lot 2B (shown above), a tall turquoise ushabti for a man called “Ankh-em-maat” is depicted mummiform with a smiling expression, hands holding a crook and flail. The figure wears a striated tripartite wig and braided beard and bears 10 lines of hieroglyphic inscription. This exceptional antiquity last appeared at auction on June 12, 1993 at Sotheby’s. Estimate: $5,000-$7,000
A late 6th to 5th century BCE hammered-bronze helmet from the Greek province of Illyria (modern-day Balkans) would have served multiple purposes, said Artemis Gallery Executive Director Teresa Dodge. “We know from the pseudo rivets on the helmet’s design that it was made for parades or to be worn in death. Excavations in Macedonia revealed that some Greek soldiers were buried wearing their helmets,” Dodge said. Similar examples are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Louvre. Auction estimate: $28,000-$35,000. Also of special note are Lot 8 (shown above), a circa 5th to 4th century BCE Chalcidian (Magna Graecia) hammered, tinned-bronze helmet of unusual form, $60,000-$80,000; and Lot 17, a circa 500-450 BCE Etruscan bronze helmet and chest armor ensemble from Etruria (northern Italy), $75,000-$90,000.
Collectors of Roman glass look forward to Artemis Gallery sales, which almost always contain rare forms of finest quality. The March 15th offering includes perfume and other flasks, oil lamps, jars and other vessels. A top entry is Lot 20 (shown above), a blown-glass double unguent designed to hold precious oils, cosmetics or fragrances. Estimate: $1,800-$2,500
Many early Latin-American cultures are represented in the Pre-Columbian portion of the sale. Highlights include Lot 70A (shown above), a Mayan Territory limestone ball court marker, $60,000-$80,000; Lot 90, a large and important circa 1000-1500 CE stoneware lizard figure from Hispaniola, $12,000-$15,000; and Lot 71A, a circa 550-900 CE Peten Basin (Mayan Territories) polychrome cylinder ritual vessel, $2,500-$3,500.
In honor of Asia Week New York, Artemis Gallery has chosen several fine Chinese, Japanese and other Far Eastern antiquities for their March 15 auction. Included are: Lot 52, a Chinese Tang Dynasty terracotta qilin, $2,500-$3,500; Lot 52C, an 18th-century Tokugawa Japanese bronze champlevé Bodhisattva, $6,000-$9,000; and Lot 52B (shown below), a stunning set of 12 Chinese Ming ceramic zodiac figures, each dressed as a human tomb attendant in a long, draping “gown.” The rare set, formerly in a British private collection is expected to make $6,000-$8,000.
The auction also features Viking and African tribal objects, as well as several fossils. A fascinating specimen, Lot 55 (shown below) is a blue mammoth tusk from Alaska dating to the Pleistocene epoch (Ice Age), circa 35,000 years ago. Measuring 77 inches from tip to tip and exhibiting a rich dark blue-green coloration, this natural-history prize is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.
Five beautiful 19th-century Russian icons will close the sale. Among the subjects depicted in the coveted religious artworks are St. George (with dragon), Mother of God of Kazan, the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste, and Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The March 15, 2017 auction begins at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. View the catalog and bid absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers. For additional information on any item, call Teresa Dodge at 720-890-7700 or email teresa@artemisgallery.com.
[av_button label=’View the fully illustrated catalog and bid through LiveAuctioneers.’ link=’manually,http://bit.ly/2nh6L1b’ link_target=’_blank’ size=’medium’ position=’center’ icon_select=’no’ icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ color=’theme-color’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ av_uid=’av-v31ug1′]