On July 14, 2026, Artemis Fine Arts in Boulder, Colorado, will host "Cultural Discoveries: Ancient / Ethnographic," a curated auction featuring a diverse selection of global antiquities and cultural artifacts. Spanning thousands of years of human history, the collection includes masterworks from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East, and Asia, alongside significant Pre-Columbian, Native American, African, and Oceanic pieces. The auction also features rare fossils and Neoclassical fine art, with all lots legally acquired and available with professional, in-house shipping. Large Knightia Fish Fossils 'Mass Mortality' Stone Slab. Estimate: $2,600 - $3,900.

Pair of Sumatran Stone Relief Panels, Male and Female. Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Sumatra, ca. 20th century CE. A striking pair of carved stone figural relief panels depicting stylized nude human figures in frontal view, one male and one female, each wearing a rounded hat. The figures are carved in low relief from rectangular stone slabs, their bodies rendered with simplified, almost geometric clarity that emphasizes strong outlines and expressive presence. The male figure stands upright with arms extended outward and legs slightly apart, the torso marked by a recessed navel and clearly delineated genitalia. Estimate: $2,600 - $3,900.

Gordon Coutts Painting - California Desert ca. 1920s. Gordon Coutts (Scottish-American, 1868-1937). Oil on canvas, ca. 1920s. Artist's signature "Gordon Coutts" at lower right. A stunning landscape painting set in the California desert by Gordon Coutts, a Scottish-American artist who lived in Palm Springs, a haven for artists in the early 20th century. Estimate: $3,000 - $4,500.

Pair of Spratling Taxco Silver Plates - Tomas Vega. Don Tomas Vega (Mexican, 20th century). Two silver dishes, ca. after 1979. Spratling hallmark, "DT," and "TS-24" stamped on underside of each base. A gleaming pair of sterling silver plates from the legendary Spratling workshop, where modern design and Mexican craftsmanship found their most famous handshake. Clean-lined and confidently spare, each plate is built around a softly recessed well framed by a wide rim, the surface articulated with evenly spaced, wedge-like divisions that lend the form a subtle rhythm and architectural clarity. Estimate: $2,800 - $4,200.

Rare Fossil Eurypholis Fish with Stomach Contents. Ancient Seas, Near East, Lebanon, Haqil (Byblos region), Late Cretaceous period, ca. 100 to 95 million years ago. A well-preserved fossil specimen of Eurypholis boissieri, a prehistoric marine ray-finned fish of the aulopiform group, presented in fine detail against a light limestone matrix. The elongated body displays a clear spinal column, delicate fin rays, and a sharply defined tail, while the large head retains its distinctive elongated jaws lined with fine, pointed teeth. Estimate: $3,000 - $4,500.

Steppe Bison (Bison priscus) Partial Skull, Horn Cores. North America, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Pleistocene, ca. 250,000 to 10,000 years ago. This is an amazing find, a partial skull with massive horns and sheaths from a prehistoric steppe bison, Bison priscus. The bone coloration throughout is a lustrous caramel brown that is stunning, and the cavity on the brow reveals an inner spiderweb of bone structures. Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000.

Medieval Stone Corbel, Human and Zoomorphic Faces. Europe, Medieval period, ca. 12th to 14th century CE. A compact block of carved stone animated by two opposing faces, this medieval European corbel blurs the boundary between architecture and imagination. One head presents a human visage with softened, eroded features, while the other is marked by pointed, feline-like ears, suggestive of a zoomorph or demon. Estimate: $4,500 - $6,750.

Late Medieval Gold Signet Ring, Heraldic Crest. Northern Europe, England, Late Medieval period, ca. 15th century CE. A richly expressive gold signet ring whose modest scale carries the weight of identity, trust, and authority, this 15th century English example presents an octagonal bezel engraved with a bold heraldic device. At its center appears the arm and sword crest - an armored arm embowed, grasping a sword upright - cut with confident, economical lines well suited to repeated sealing. Estimate: $5,000 - $7,500.

Mammoth Ivory & Brass Okimono - Family Dinner Scene. East Asia, Japan, Meiji period, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. A charming and quietly theatrical domestic tableau unfolds in this finely worked Meiji period okimono, where a family gathers in a moment of shared ritual - the simple act of a meal elevated into sculpture. The composition centers on a low table set with small vessels and a woven basket, around which four figures animate the scene with subtle individuality and gesture. Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000.

Prehistoric Mimbres Carved Fossil Coral Effigy Figure. Nativ American / Pre-Columbian, Southwestern United States / Northern Mexico, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A carved fossil coral figure depicting a rotund animal form with a compact body and short legs. The creature appears rodent-like, though the abstraction allows for multiple interpretations, such as bison or bear. Estimate: $7,000 - $10,500.