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Artemis Fine Arts will open live bidding for its Ancient Rings, Antiquities & Ethnographic Art sale on October 23, 2026. Curated by Bob Dodge, the online auction features an exceptional lineup of ancient and medieval gold and silver rings from the Roman, Byzantine, and early European worlds—each scientifically XRF-tested for age and metallurgical purity. The diverse catalog spans millennia of global material culture, offering buyers a rare assortment of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern, Asian, Pre-Columbian, and Native American antiquities alongside ethnographic and fine art. 20th C. Sulawesi High-Karat Gold Bangle - Filigree Floral Rosettes. Estimate: $11,000 - $16,000.

Ming Dynasty Stone Frieze Panel, Buddhist Narrative. East Asia, China, Ming Dynasty, ca. 1368 to 1644 CE. A large gray stone frieze panel carved in relief with a narrative vignette, likely drawn from the Buddha's life or an associated parable. The composition shows a central figure seated in meditation within a boat beneath a canopy suggestive of the bodhi tree, with wave forms below and a secondary monk-like attendant appearing to steady or accompany the vessel. Estimate: $6,500 - $9,750.

Roman 21K Gold Ring | Carnelian Intaglio of Artemis of Ephesus. Roman, Imperial period. A Roman finger ring of heavy, buttery gold tested at 88.8 percent (about 21.3 karats). Its hoop swells into broad, rounded shoulders that hold an oval carnelian intaglio set flush in the bezel. Two tight coils of even purer gold wire, tested at 97.8 to 98.8 percent (about 23.5 to 23.7 karats), are wrapped around the hoop. Estimate: $3,000 - $4,500.

Lobi Carved Wood Y-Shaped Ladder, West Africa. West Africa, Burkina Faso, Lobi. A large Lobi wooden ladder carved from a single forked tree trunk. The upper end divides into a broad Y-shaped fork, and the shaft below is cut with a series of stepped notches. Estimate: $2,250 - $3,500.

African Bamana Wood Kono Kun Mask, Heavily Encrusted Sacrificial Material. Africa, Mali, Bamana peoples. A Kono helmet mask carved from wood and heavily encrusted with sacrificial material. The hollowed helmet extends into two long, plank-like jaws, with horn-like projections at the upper end. An iron dish is set on the brow, and cordage lashes sections of the wood together beneath the encrustation. Estimate: $1,600 - $2,250.

Globidens Mosasaur Jaws & Crushing Teeth in Matrix, Late Cretaceous, Morocco. North Africa, Morocco, Khouribga Province, Late Cretaceous. Fossilized jaw sections of Globidens, a mosasaur with distinctive button-like teeth, preserved side by side in an oval block of sandstone matrix. Unlike the curved, pointed teeth of other mosasaurs, each jaw carries a row of rounded, domed crowns rising from the bone. Estimate: $1,600 - $2,250.

Sulawesi Sa’dan Toraja Dance Apron, Beaded Fringe. Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Sulawesi Island, Toraja people, ca. early 21th century CE. A woman's beaded dance apron (sassanq), traditionally worn by Sa'dan Toraja women during the ma'gellu' dance, performed in honor of individuals of noble rank. The apron's upper section is composed of a woven fiber band in pale pink with white and brown geometric shapes. Estimate: $1,800 - $2,800.

Trilobite in Matrix, Selenopeltis buchii. A dramatic example of Selenopeltis buchii, one of the most spectacular spiny trilobites of the Ordovician seas. It is preserved in natural relief on a slab of its original [sandstone/siltstone] matrix. Estimate: $1,500 - $2,250.

Eight Russian Silver & Cloisonne Enamel Spoons, Gustav Klingert, Moscow 1892 . Eastern Europe, Russia, Moscow, workshop of Gustav Klingert. A set of eight silver spoons, each with an egg-shaped bowl that has a gilt-toned interior. The back of each bowl is covered in cloisonne enamel. Estimate: $1,500 - $2,250.

Native American Cradleboard w/ Bent Willow Bow & Calico Cover. Native American, likely Southwest or Great Basin. A cradleboard built for an actual infant rather than a shelf, its elongated boat-shaped body rising from a rigid foundation, lined in heavy canvas and sheathed over that in quilted pale blue calico scattered with small green and violet sprigs. Estimate: $1,600 - $2,250.