Best Photos of the Day

Artemis Fine Arts presents its Cultural Discoveries auction, a 418-lot odyssey through human craftsmanship. The sale is anchored by a significant collection of Indigenous American art, led by a rare Mississippian stone tadpole effigy and a "Corn Goddess" vessel, both of which serve as striking remnants of pre-contact river valley civilisations. Miocene Dicrocerus Fossil Skull - Deer Ancestor. Estimate: $1,100 - $2,100.

10 Ancient Egyptian Faience Bead Strands. Egypt, New Kingdom to Late Period, ca. 1550 to 332 BCE. A collection of 10 equal-length strands composed of tiny faience seed beads, likely originally part of a multi-strand necklace. Estimate: $1,200 - $1,800.

Woodland Stone Platform Pipe - Engraved Bowl. Native American, Eastern Woodlands, Woodland period, ca. 1000 BCE to 1000 CE. A compact and finely worked steatite obtuse platform pipe, its angled bowl rising from a flattened stem engraved with simple linear and circular motifs, reflecting the Woodland tradition of personal smoking implements used in both daily life and ceremonial exchange. Estimate: $1,200 - $1,800.

19th C. Chinese Smoking Pipes, Tortoiseshell & Ivory. East Asia, China, Qing Dynasty, ca. 19th to early 20th century CE. A collection of three antique smoking pipes with mottled tortoiseshell veneers and elephant ivory fittings, reflecting the luxury materials favored in late imperial China. Each pipe is formed from a wood or bamboo core, overlaid with thin sheets of heated and molded tortoiseshell that create a warm, variegated surface. Estimate: $1,100 - $1,650.

2 Ken Elliot Collages "French Earth Series" (2010). Ken Elliott (American, XX-XXI). "French Earth Series #1" and "French Earth Series #2" mixed media collages, 2010. Both Artist Proof #1 (from editions of 50 plus 5 artist proofs). Both works are hand signed and numbered (AP1) in pencil at lower right. Estimate: $1,300 - $1,950.

Rodolfo Morales Engraving - Trilogia. Rodolfo Morales (Mexican, 1925-2001). Trilogia. Color lithograph, n.d. Edition 16 of 40. Hand-signed and numbered beneath impression. A theatrical arrangement of figures and architecture unfolds across three adjoining panels, each saturated with deep violets, earthen reds, and muted greens that define Morales' dreamlike visual language. Estimate: $1,300 - $1,950.

Moche Copper Mace Head - Jaguar Form. Pre-Columbian, Peru, Moche culture, ca. 100 to 700 CE. A formidable and sculptural copper mace head takes the striking form of four snarling jaguar heads, radiating outward in a compact, symmetrical composition. Each feline visage is rendered with pronounced snouts, bared teeth, and deeply recessed, openwork eyes, creating a dramatic interplay of light and shadow across the surface. Estimate: $1,300 - $1,950.

James E. Stuart Painting "Looking Up a Brook …" (1906). James Everett Stuart (American, 1852-1941). "Looking Up a Brook About One Mile South of Dover, Maine" oil on canvas, 1906. Signed and dated at lower left and again on verso with title. A quiet brook winds through moss-covered stones and shadowed trunks in this intimate 1906 landscape, where James Everett Stuart turns from monumental western vistas to the hushed lyricism of rural Maine. Estimate: $1,400 - $2,100.

Devonian Trilobite Fossils - Six in Matrices. North Africa, Morocco, Devonian period, ca. 419.2 to 358.9 million years ago. A visually rich group of six trilobite fossils showcases these ancient arthropods preserved within their original stone matrices, representing examples from the orders Ptychopariida and Phacopida. Each specimen offers a distinct impression of form and preservation, unified by their shared origin in the Devonian seas. Estimate: $1,400 - $2,100.

Mississippian Sandstone Human Effigy Head Pipe - Falcon. Native American, Mississippian culture, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A compelling fusion of human likeness and celestial symbolism, this sandstone effigy pipe presents a solemn face marked by the unmistakable signs of the falcon - a creature of the upper world and a bearer of power. Estimate: $1,400 - $2,100.