Mayan Limestone Ball Court Marker Could Reach $175K in Oct. 23-24 Auction Featuring Famous Antiquities Collection
BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The extraordinary ancient antiquities collection of career diplomat William N. Dale, who began collecting while posted in Turkey in the early 1960s, is the centerpiece of Artemis Gallery's Oct. 23-24 auction. Dale's collection includes Greek, Roman and Anatolian art. Pre-Columbian and tribal-art treasures will be auctioned, as well.
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Among the classical antiquities are superb examples from cultures rarely seen at auction, including four Viking objects and pieces from the Neolithic Vinca people, the Yourtan, and the Avar, a very early Bronze Age culture. There are also objects from ancient China, Southeast Asia and Japan.
The haunting gaze of a 2nd-3rd century AD Palmyran limestone portrait head of a prince, is a testament to its sculptor's ability. With its beautifully detailed, darkly pigmented eyebrows and closely cropped beard, the subject "looks like he should be on a Hollywood movie set," said Teresa Dodge, executive director of Artemis Gallery. It is expected to sell for $30,000-$40,000.
An Egyptian openwork furniture attachment carved with hieroglyphs and an image of a seated god, Toth, dates to the 26th dynasty (662-525 BC). Its auction estimate is $18,000-$22,000.
Great examples of Greek pottery include a 430 BC red kylix with figures of athletes. Dodge described the banquet vessel, estimated at $15,000-$20,000, as "the classiest wine cup of the day."
An important Late Byzantine marble capital, which once graced the Palazzo Odescalchi, comes with a written history. Estimate: $20,000-$25,000.
Another key piece, a 25-inch Anatolian Troy-type amphora, dates to circa 1500 BC. "This is the type of piece Heinrich Schliemann might have excavated while uncovering Troy," Dodge observed. Its presale estimate is $10,000-$15,000.
Viking relics are led by a well-preserved 9th-10th century iron sword. Intensively studied and authenticated, the 35-inch-long sword could sell for as much as $30,000.
The Oct. 24 session contains one of the most exciting pieces ever to be handled by Artemis Gallery, said Dodge. "It's an original Mayan limestone ball court marker – a disc carved with a scene of a seated lord. Each side would bring its own marker to matches, and rulers would bring examples like this one as a good-luck offering." Previously in the collection of the Denver Art Museum, the disc dates to around 550-800 AD. It is the highest-estimated item in the auction at $125,000-$175,000.
Other highlights include a circa-16000 BC Paleolithic Clovis point, a circa-300 BC standing figure from the Chupicuaro (Mexico) people, and an extremely rare, mid-18th-century Coptic textile from Afghanistan with ornately stitched Biblical images.
The sale is rounded out by fine Colima dogs, Moche and Inca pottery; and an extensive selection of gold ornaments, including nose rings, earrings and crowns.
The various ways to bid in Artemis Gallery's Oct. 23-24 auction include absentee, by phone (advance reservation required), or live via the Internet through ArtemisGalleryLIVE.com, LiveAuctioneers.com or Invaluable.com. For more information, Teresa Dodge, Email.
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SOURCE Artemis Gallery
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