BOULDER, COLO.- Gods and funerary figures, painted reliefs, precious-metal vessels, imperial portraiture and the equipment of Roman soldiers are among the classical antiquities taking center stage in the September 16 auction presented by Artemis Fine Arts and Arte Primitivo. Spanning more than three millennia of Egyptian, Greek and Roman history, the selection shows how ancient objects could serve religion, commemoration, luxury, political authority and warfare.

The Egyptian section reaches back much further with Lot 431, an Egyptian Predynastic wavy-handled jar, estimated at $5,000–$7,500. Made during the Naqada period around 3100–3000 BCE, the tall vessel was coil-built from orange-pink clay and carefully smoothed, with a wavy groove beneath the mouth recalling the pronounced handles found on earlier examples of the type.

Funerary belief is represented by Lot 444, a faience ushabti made for Psamtik, overseer of the scribes of the Royal Meals, estimated at $18,000–$25,000. The turquoise-glazed figure wears a tripartite wig and beard and carries nine horizontal registers of hieroglyphs. Ushabtis were placed in tombs to act on behalf of the deceased in the afterlife, turning a small figure into a permanent funerary servant.


Middle Kingdom Limestone Offering Relief, 12th Dynasty, Beni Hasan.

A more intimate vision of family and remembrance appears in Lot 445, a Middle Kingdom limestone offering group associated with Beni Hasan, estimated at $22,500–$35,000. Dating to the 12th Dynasty, ca. 1991–1786 BCE, the carving presents three figures standing shoulder to shoulder against a shared back slab, preserving a compact image connected with Egypt's mortuary and offering traditions.

Nature enters the picture in Lot 449, an Amarna-period limestone relief depicting a duck among marsh plants, estimated at $4,000–$6,000. Dating to approximately 1353–1336 BCE, the fragment shows the bird in profile beside a lotus or papyrus bloom, with traces of its original painted decoration still surviving on the limestone surface.


Hellenistic Greek Silver Juglet | Repousse Petals, ex-Christie's. Estimate $4,000-$6,000.

The story shifts to the Greek world with Lot 364, a Hellenistic Greek silver juglet with repouss� petals, estimated at $4,000–$6,000. Made in Magna Graecia around 333–300 BCE, the small vessel combines an ovoid body and high loop handle with raised petal-like decoration, engraved geometric bands and a floral rosette beneath the foot. The piece previously passed through Christie's.

The playful side of Hellenistic metalwork emerges in Lot 368, a bronze Silen steelyard weight, estimated at $15,000–$25,000. Created in Magna Graecia around 200–100 BCE, the counterweight takes the form of the bearded companion of Dionysus wearing a diadem of grapes and ivy. Its expressive sculptural form transformed a practical component of an ancient weighing system into an object rich with Dionysian imagery.


Lifesize+ Roman Imperial Marble Head, Caracalla Type. Estimate $30,000-$35,000.

Roman political authority is strongly expressed in Lot 379, an over-life-size Roman Imperial marble head of Caracalla type, estimated at $30,000–$35,000. Dating to approximately 100–300 CE, the white-marble portrait presents a commander with a furrowed brow, turned gaze, thick curls and short beard. The catalogue notes its resemblance to official portraits of Caracalla while stopping short of identifying the sitter as the emperor himself.

Roman sculpture moves from imperial authority to mythology in Lot 381, a Roman marble satyr with a wineskin, estimated at $15,000–$18,000. Dating to the Imperial period, the surviving figure evokes the world of Dionysus and the satyrs who populated Roman representations of wine, revelry and untamed nature. The sculpture previously appeared at Christie's.

The selection concludes with one of the sale's most tangible links to the Roman army: Lot 392, a Roman bronze legionary helmet of Weisenau type, estimated at $22,500–$35,000. Dating to approximately 50–125 CE, its hemispherical bronze bowl incorporates a crest mount and projecting neck guard designed to combine protection with freedom of movement, preserving the recognizable form of equipment worn by Roman soldiers during the early Imperial period.

Taken together, the group traces changing uses of art across the ancient Mediterranean: an Egyptian deity carried for protection, funerary figures prepared for eternity, luxury silver shaped for elite use, mythological imagery incorporated into everyday objects, portraits designed to communicate authority and armor made for the realities of military life. Materials and purposes changed across the centuries, but each object retains evidence of the society that made and used it.

The Artemis Fine Arts and Arte Primitivo Day 2: Antiquities, Tribal, African, Asian auction takes place September 16, 2026, beginning at 11 a.m. EDT in Louisville, Colorado.