Artemis Fine Arts and Arte Primitivo’s September 15-16 joint online-only auction draws on decades of expertise

Day 1 features Pre-Columbian, Spanish Colonial art, Native American and fossils. Day 2 features Greek, Roman, Egyptian, African/Tribal & Asian art and relics.

BOULDER, CO, UNITED STATES, September 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Artemis Fine Arts in association with Arte Primitivo will present an online-only auction September 15-16 featuring Pre-Columbian, Native American, and fossils on Day 1, followed by Classical and Near Eastern antiquities, Tribal, African, and Asian art on Day 2.

The jointly-produced auction draws on decades of experience and expertise from both galleries. The principals remain committed to maintaining the same high standards, connoisseurship, and client service that collectors have come to expect of both of the firms. The September event marks the fourth time the two auction powerhouses have joined forces to host a major event compatibly showcasing the best of their respective consignments. Many more auction collaborations are planned for the months to come.

Day 1, Tuesday, September 15, is replete with rare and stunningly beautiful Pre-Columbian objects. The selection is led by a cast gold Saurian pectoral deity pendant (Cocle, circa 800-1425 CE), its standing anthropomorph crowned by a headdress of two stylized alligators. It measures 4¾ inches by 4¼ inches and weighs 205 grams. Equally noteworthy, a large cast and hammered gold pectoral depicting a raptor spreading scythe-shaped wings beneath a crown of seven coiled spirals, 7 inches tall and weighing 214 grams. Its origin is Central America (Diquis) and it dates to circa 750-1450 CE. Each of the two items carries an individual estimate of $75,000-$85,000.

A massive gray volcanic stone brazier in the form of Huehueteotl, the aged fire god, crouched beneath the weight of a circular basin he carries on his head (Teotihuacan, circa 450-650 CE), stands 18¾ inches tall on a 25½-inch mount. Previously auctioned at Christie’s (in 2013), this exceptional piece should bring $20,000-$25,000. Also, a pale marble cylindrical vessel raised on an integral pedestal, with two handles in the form of fanged jaguars emerging from serpent maws, the body carrying a deity mask in low relief (Ulua Valley, circa 500-800 CE), has an estimate of $20,000-$30,000.

A 21-inch-tall sheet metal Moche mask is hammered and repousse-worked into the broad face of a lord, with a pectoral of 17 large, recently-strung gilded discs sweeping below the chin. Originating circa 100-500 CE (North Coast, Moche), it is estimated to reach $15,000-$20,000. In addition, a broad panel of handspun cotton bearing a solar visage of a deity painted in soft edged washes of red, ochre, slate blue and cream (Huari, Pacific Coast, circa 600-800 CE), sewn to a cloth backing and housed in a 56½ inch by 34-inch custom frame, should realize $10,000-$15,000.

The opening session features a fabulous collection of high-karat Pre-Columbian gold and ancient gold jewelry, as well as Spanish Colonial items, mostly from the private collection of Samuel Saunders of Nogales, Arizona. He is a partner of Holler & Saunders, Ltd., founded in 1979 and widely regarded as one of the preeminent authorities in Spanish Colonial and Mexican folk art. The following lots from his collection are included in the auction:

• An ecclesiastical silver processional lantern, its sheet-silver walls worked in high repousse and finished with chasing and pierced openwork so candlelight could escape, with winged cherubs and devotional plaques (Bolivia, circa 1700-1799). Estimate: $30,000-$35,000
• A heavy hammered Andean silver acetre, the vessel from which a priest carried holy water for aspersion, with two separately-cast masks with faces that follow the Devil of Puno, a demonic type native to the Puno shore of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. Estimate: $12,000-$15,000

Native American lots include a large late 19th/early 20th-century polychrome coiled basket, 20 inches in diameter, the walls displaying a pattern associated with the diamond markings of rattlesnakes native to the region (California, Youkuts culture). Estimate: $8,000-$12,000; and a broad-shouldered 12-inch-tall earthenware storage jar with a gorgeous red-on-buff decoration characteristic of Hohokam ceramic tradition and formed by the paddle-and-anvil technique rather than coiling associated with agricultural communities of the Sonoran Desert. Estimate: $3,000-$4,500

The fossils category is led by a fossilized skull of Dinocrocuta, meaning “terrible hyena,” a large carnivore of the grasslands of Central Asia. Dating to the Miocene Epoch, circa 10 million years ago, it measures 16 inches long by 11 inches wide and is mounted on a custom stand. Estimate: $30,000-$45,000. Another exciting entry is a large fossil skull of the extinct proboscidean Stegodon, tall in the cranium and short in the face, with an associated mandible, its paired tusks projecting forward. It is 22½ inches tall by 52 inches wide and is 1-2 million years old, from the Pleistocene epoch, Solo River, Central Java. Estimate: $30,000-$40,000

On to Day 2, which contains 353 lots of Classical Antiquities, African/Tribal and Asian lots. Some boast prestigious provenance from their prior sale at other high-end auction houses worldwide. One example is a waisted cylindrical beaker (Near East, Caspian region, Marlik culture, circa 1100-800 BCE) raised in sheet silver and worked in repousse, its walls framed by guilloche borders and six parade horses that encircle the 5-inch-tall drinking vessel. The beaker was likely made for aristocratic use and was previously auctioned by Bonhams London in 1995. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000

A life-size Roman head carved in white marble, the sitter presented as a commander with features that resemble Caracalla, who ruled as M. Aurelius Antoninus, stands 12¼ inches tall and is mounted on a custom dark green marble block base (Imperial period, circa 100-300 CE). This artwork should realize $30,000-$35,000. A bearded silen, the maskette wearing a diadem of clustered grapes and ivy leaves beneath a meander-banded collar (Magna Graecia, Hellenistic Period, circa 200-100 BCE), was previously auctioned at Christie’s New York (in 2019). It has a pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$25,000.

Egyptian highlights include a solid-cast bronze figure of Nephthys, “Mistress of the House” and sister of Isis, standing with feet together and arms at her sides. It is 8¾ inches tall and dates to the Late Dynastic-Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 BCE. The work was last sold through Christie’s New York, in 2019, and now comes to auction with an estimate of $15,000-$20,000. A blue-green faience pottery ushabti for General Ankh-Wahibre-Sa-Nieth, son of Hetepwebastet (Hetep-bastet), stands 6½ inches tall, minus the Lucite block base. Created during the Late Period, XXVI Dynasty, circa 688-525 BC, it was previously exhibited at the Antiken Museum in Basel, Switzerland. Estimate: $15,000-$18,000

The African and Tribal art category – always popular with collectors – is led by a tekoteko ancestral guardian figure carved from a single length of wood, finished in red pigment and representing a tupuna (ancestor). The 40¾-inch-tall figure from the New Zealand Maori people, circa 1800-1920 CE, is estimated at $22,500-$35,000. A seated female guardian figure carved from a single block of wood, legs folded and back straight, circa 1800-1930 from the Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, features mother-of-pearl eyes with dark stone pupils, which give the subject’s wide face its unblinking stare. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000

A circa 1850-1900 support post from a togu na (West Africa, Mali, Bandigara Escarpment, Dogon peoples), was carved from a single forked timber rising to a Y-form crown. The piece is published in Togu Na: The African Dogon – House of Men, House of Words (p. 114) and should command $12,000-$18,000. Also, a pounamu (nephrite jade) hei tiki (New Zealand, Maori), carved into the abstracted human form for which these types of pendants are famous, is expected to reach $10,000-$15,000. Worn suspended from the neck by men and women alike, the hei tiki was the most highly prized of all Maori personal effects.

Last, but certainly not least, are Asian objects. A few top lots in the upcoming auction include:

• A tall gilded crown assembled from sheet copper alloy, its domed inner cap built of three plates with a lower rim band and incised with a pair of peacocks amid leafy scrollwork, 10½ inches square (East Asia, China, Tang Dynasty, circa 700 CE). Estimate: $15,000-$20,000
• A fragment of a wall painting depicting a celestial female attendant walking along a balustraded promenade, offering a scholar’s rock on a tray (China, Song/Ming Dynasty, circa 13th-16th century CE), 16¼ inches by 31¼ inches minus frame. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000
• A tantric ritual apron, or rus gyan, assembled from thousands of hand-cut bone beads strung into swagged lattices and anchored by pierced openwork plaques (East Asia, Tibetan Buddhist, circa 1800-1899 CE), with matching arm ornaments. Estimate: $10,000-$12,000

Artemis Fine Arts is known internationally as a premier authority in the field of ancient and ethnographic art. Arte Primitivo is a New York City auction company that specializes in Pre-Columbian, African, tribal, ethnographic and ancient art. In concert, the two firms conduct auctions of superlative cultural treasures from both private and institutional collections.

The September 15-16, 2026 auction will start at 9am MT/11am ET on both days. Absentee bidding is currently in progress. Internet bidding is seamless across all platforms. The auction is now open for bidding through Artemis Fine Arts’ dedicated online platform, as well as Arte Primitivo’s online bidding system, plus LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable and Drouot, the internationally-renowned Paris-based company known for its association with distinguished European auction houses.

An important note for those who normally bid with Arte Primitivo: this sale will be conducted in a live-style format, meaning that rather than lots closing independently at pre-scheduled times, each lot will close sequentially, one after another, in the manner of a traditional live auction. Absentee bids and protected online bids may be placed at any time.

Following the main event, bidders may participate in Arte Primitivo’s Post-Auction Sale of Unsold Lots via the Arte Primitivo website – an additional opportunity to secure coveted pieces. This secondary sale will revert to Arte Primitivo’s longstanding timed format (only the primary auction will utilize the new live-style structure).

While the collaboration offers exceptional flexibility through multiple bidding avenues, clients are encouraged to utilize Arte Primitivo’s or Artemis Fine Arts’ native platforms, where buyer’s premiums are more advantageous and based on the winning bidder’s chosen method of payment. Dedicated specialists from both firms will be available by phone before, during and after the auction.

Artemis Fine Arts and Arte Primitivo ship worldwide and have their own in-house shipping departments to ensure quality control. View all lots, with detailed, authoritative descriptions and multiple photos, in the online catalog.

All auction items have been expertly curated by Bob Dodge (owner, Artemis Fine Arts) and Howard Rose (owner, Arte Primitivo). For additional information on any auction item, call Teresa Dodge at Artemis Fine Arts at 720-890-7700 or email her at teresa@artemisfinearts.com. Bid absentee or live online at https://auctions.artemisgallery.com/auctions/upcoming-auctions/

Teresa Dodge
Artemis Fine Arts
+1 720-890-7700
email us here

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Written By: EIN Presswire