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Artemis Fine Arts and Arte Primitivo present a two-day joint auction in Louisville, Colorado, uniting decades of combined expertise and connoisseurship in ethnographic and ancient art. Commencing on September 15, 2026, Day 1 of the sale highlights an exceptional selection of Pre-Columbian artifacts, Native American works, and rare fossils curated by industry principals Bob Dodge and Howard Rose. The event offers collectors, institutions, and enthusiasts a premier opportunity to acquire museum-quality pieces backed by rigorous standards of authenticity and provenance. Quimbaya Cast Gold Female Figure with Danglers, Colombia (115 gr) . Estimate: $75,000 - $85,000.
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Monumental Stegodon Fossil Skull with Mandible, Java. Pleistocene, Solo River, Central Java, Indonesia. A monumental fossil skull of the extinct proboscidean Stegodon, tall in the cranium and short in the face, its paired tusks projecting forward almost parallel and nearly touching, so the trunk would have rested atop them rather than hung between. Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000.
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Picasso "Vase Deux Anses Hautes" (A.R. 213), Edition 132/400. Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973), Madoura Pottery, Vallauris, France. "Vase deux anses hautes" (A.R. 213, referring to its catalogue number in Alain Ramié's Picasso: Catalogue of the Edited Ceramic Works, 1947–1971), a white earthenware vase with two tall loop handles, painted in black slip with a stylized face on one side, framed by a floral headdress, and abstracted geometric and floral motifs on the reverse. Known as "The Queen," paired with its companion piece "The King" (A.R. 141). Estimate: $25,000 - $37,500.
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Veracruz Openwork Stone Hacha, Jaguar Head. Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Veracruz. A gray volcanic stone hacha, its surface saturated with red cinnabar, carved as an abstract jaguar head seen in profile. The wide open jaws frame a broad openwork void, while a long tongue curls down from the roof of the mouth and the great cat's snout tapers to a raised muzzle. Estimate: $30,000 - $47,500.
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Teotihuacan Huehueteotl Brazier, Fire God, ex-Sotheby's. Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Teotihuacan. A massive gray volcanic stone brazier in the form of Huehueteotl, the aged fire god, crouched beneath the weight of the circular basin he carries on his head. The sunken face is deeply cut: toothless mouth, recessed eyes, heavy disc earspools, wrinkled cheeks. Estimate: $20,000 - $25,000.
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Monumental Moche Funerary Mask | Repousse Lord's Face, Gilded Pectoral. Pre-Columbian, Peru, North Coast, Moche. A monumental sheet metal mask, hammered and repousse-worked into the broad face of a lord, the brow crossed by a raised headband and the almond eyes fitted with small disc danglers now fused in place by corrosion. The nose is modeled naturalistically in high relief, the wide mouth set with barely parted lips. Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000.
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Monumental Ixtlan del Rio Couple, Nose Rings, Geometric Painted Design. Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Nayarit, Ixtlan del Rio. A matched pair of large seated figures, male and female, modeled in burnished orangeware with legs crossed and arms drawn across the torso. Both wear twisted headbands, multiple nose rings, beaded armlets and elaborate spiral ear ornaments. Estimate: $20,000 - $25,000.
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Argentina Campo del Cielo Meteorite, Uncut, 29.2 lbs. Argentina, Campo del Cielo. South America, Argentina, Campo del Cielo. An uncut iron meteorite specimen from the Campo del Cielo strewn field, a significant meteorite fall site where approximately 100 tons of material have been recovered from around 26 impact craters. This specimen weighs 29.2 lbs (13,244 grams). 8" W x 6" H x 5" D (20.3 cm W x 15.2 cm H x 12.7 cm D). Estimate: $18,000 - $27,000.
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Remojadas Seated Woman, Monumental Ceramic Figure. Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Veracruz, Remojadas. A monumental salmon-toned ceramic woman sits cross-legged, hands resting open on her lap, fingernails crisply modeled. She wears a hood and cape falling in a zigzag hem across the back, a double strand of beaded necklace, small disc earspools, and beaded bracelets. Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000.
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Chavin Tembladera Gold Crown | Plume Finial, Fish Ear Ornaments. Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chavin, Tembladera, Jequetepeque Valley, North Coast. A composite ensemble of Andean regalia in hammered sheet gold and carved stone. The crown band is cut in a bold zigzag, a lightning bolt profile whose faceted planes catch light along every angle, and rises at center into a fan-shaped plume of slender cut fronds imitating feathers. Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000.