BOULDER, COLO.- This October 17,
Artemis Fine Arts invites collectors and history lovers to Boulder, Colorado, for an auction that transcends borders and centuries.
Worldly Treasures | Ancient, Ethno, Fine Art gathers a remarkable assembly of cultural artifacts — each a story carved, forged, or molded into existence. From Native American diplomacy tools to Buddhist icons and African symbols of protection, the sale celebrates humanity’s shared devotion to beauty and belief.
The lots, drawn from private collections across the United States and Europe, highlight the auction house’s commitment to legally sourced and culturally respectful acquisitions. The diversity of the offerings reveals a universal constant: art’s enduring role as both object and oracle, connecting people to their ancestors and their gods. Highlights of the sale include:
Diplomacy in Steel and Smoke: The Spontoon Pipe Tomahawk
Rare 19th C. Native American Spontoon Pipe Tomahawk. Estimate $3,000-$4,500
One of the sale’s most historically charged pieces is a rare 19th-century Native American spontoon pipe tomahawk, estimated at $3,000–$4,500. Unlike the common hatchet form, this example bears a spear-like blade — an elegant convergence of weapon, tool, and ceremonial pipe.
Decorated with brass tacks and fine scoring along the haft, it embodies the fusion of indigenous craftsmanship and European influence that defined the North American frontier. Such tomahawks were not merely instruments of battle or smoke but symbols of negotiation and alliance. They were often exchanged during treaty ceremonies, where the act of gifting a tomahawk-pipe sealed both friendship and power.
The slender, graceful silhouette of this particular piece — more lance than axe — captures that moment when two worlds met and found meaning through shared ritual.
Voyage of Spirits: Papua New Guinea Canoe Model
Superb Early 20th C. Papua New Guinea Wood Canoe Model. Estimate $2,800-$4,200
From the vast Pacific, an early 20th-century carved canoe model from Papua New Guinea sails into the auction as a masterpiece of miniature architecture and spiritual symbolism. Estimated at $2,800–$4,200, the painted wood outrigger canoe is adorned with fish, birds, and geometric motifs in red, black, and white — colors long associated with vitality, protection, and ancestral energy.
With its intricately lashed outriggers and elevated fishing platform, the model captures the precision and artistry of Oceanic navigation. In many Melanesian societies, canoe carving was not just a technical act but a sacred one: each vessel was thought to house the spirits of sea and kin, ensuring safe passage through both physical and metaphysical waters.
The piece, once part of a Parisian collection, offers collectors a glimpse into a world where craftsmanship and cosmology were inseparable.
Calling the Earth to Witness: The Thai Ayutthaya Buddha
17th C. Thai Ayutthaya Copper Alloy Seated Buddha. Estimate $2,800-$4,200.
The meditative centerpiece of the sale comes from Thailand’s Ayutthaya period — a 17th-century copper alloy Buddha seated in serene majesty. Measuring nearly 18 inches tall, the figure depicts the Buddha in the Bhumisparsha Mudra, or “earth-touching” gesture, symbolizing the moment of enlightenment.
With finely cast features — from the flaming ushnisha to the cascading folds of the robe — this sculpture epitomizes the royal refinement and spiritual intensity of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Estimated at $2,800–$4,200, it reflects the Buddhist conviction that art can embody transcendence itself. The piece’s openwork base and foliate patterns evoke the sacred trees and floral motifs of Thai temple architecture, where devotion and design bloom together.
Echoes from the Song Dynasty: Chinese Funerary Tiles
Three Chinese Song Dynasty Decorated Pottery Tiles. Estimate $2,200-$3,300
In a more introspective key, the auction features three decorated pottery tiles from China’s Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127 CE). Molded with figures of court attendants bearing offering trays, the bricks once adorned a tomb’s interior — a silent audience accompanying the deceased into eternity.
Despite their age, traces of red and pale pigment remain vivid against the earthen surface, lending the figures a surprising immediacy. Each bears the imprint of the artisan’s hand, a literal touch across nearly a thousand years. Estimated at $2,200–$3,300, the tiles capture the Song dynasty’s quiet sophistication — favoring elegance and restraint over ostentation.
Guardians of Grain and Memory: The Bamana Granary Lock
Early 20th C. Bamana Wood Figural Granary Door Lock. Estimate $2,200-$3,300
From West Africa comes a work of both utility and symbolism: a Bamana wood granary door lock, carved in human form and darkened by time and touch. Used to safeguard millet stores, such locks were also given as bridal gifts, representing fertility and abundance.
Dating to the early 20th century and valued at $2,200–$3,300, this example bears a striking horned visage — a blend of human and spirit. In Mali, every carved surface carries intention, and this lock tells a double story: of sustenance and of sacred protection. To the Bamana, the grain was not just food; it was life’s continuity, guarded by figures like this one.
A Mirror of Humanity
The Worldly Treasures auction, presented by Artemis Fine Arts, is a journey through human creativity — from the forge fires of the frontier to the temple altars of Asia. Each piece, whether carved from wood or cast in metal, stands as a testament to the universal impulse to make meaning with one’s hands.
Live bidding begins October 17, 2025, at 8:00 AM (GMT-6) in Boulder, Colorado, with online participation available worldwide.
