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Artemis Fine Arts presents "Global Treasures," a curated auction of ethnographic and ancient art. The sale features a diverse range of cultures and eras, including fine art alongside significant works from Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. In this image: 2 Native American Woodland Stone Death Masks. Estimate: $1,600 - $2,250.
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Massive Ammonite Fossil Spiral Shell - France. Western Europe, France, Southern Coast, Jurassic period, ca. 201 to 145 million years ago. An enormous fossil ammonite preserved in a bold, rounded form, displaying the iconic spiral structure of this extinct marine cephalopod. The surface shows natural texture, mineral deposits, and areas of weathering, with visible chamber definition and a deeply recessed central whorl. Estimate: $5,000 - $7,500.
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19th C. Andean Silver-plated Coquera w/ Serpents. South America, Andean (Bolivia or Peru), ca. 1800 to 1900 CE. A sumptuous lidded coquera in silver-plated nickel brass, its generously lobed, gourd-like body raised on three globular feet and crowned by a sculptural fruit finial with leaves and blossoms; the opposing side handles transform into paired snakes that meet at the mouth to seize a fruit, a potent Andean motif associated with the protective amaru and ideas of fertility and abundance. Estimate: $3,000 - $4,000.
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2 Large Mosasaur Fossil Slabs, Vertebrae, Skull & Teeth. North Africa, Upper Cretaceous, ca. 80 to 66 million years ago. Two stone matrices preserving the fossilized remains of a Mosasaur, including a section of the spinal column and portions of the upper skull and jutting jaw with several intact teeth! The bones are embedded within fossiliferous limestone that also contains impressions and fragments of marine shells, adding context to the ancient seafloor environment. Estimate: $1,400 - $2,100.
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Five Miniature West African Wood Face Masks - Dan Ma Go. West Africa, Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia, Dan, Bassa, or Mano peoples, ca. early to mid-20th century CE. A compelling group of five miniature wood face masks, each carved in the refined idiom of the Dan and related peoples, where smooth planes, slit eyes, and softly modeled features suggest the deangle type - the graceful, feminine spirit of the forest. Estimate: $1,200 - $1,800.
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Mississippian Pottery Whelk Shell Effigy Basin. Native American, Midwestern / Southeastern United States, Mississippian Caddo culture, ca. 1200 to 1400 CE. An intriguing pottery whelk shell effigy bowl, with pointed whorls that project outward, knobby spines along the body, and an elongated canal. Characteristic to Mississippian pottery, a shell-crushed temper was used, with visible white calcite inclusions. Estimate: $1,200 - $1,800.
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Chinese Neolithic Hongshan Jade Silk Worm. East Asia, China, Northeast region, Hongshan culture, ca. 3500 to 3000 BCE. A wonderful nephrite jade pendant in the form of a silk worm with a segmented body, a scrolling tail, bulging eyes, and a curled snout. Estimate: $1,100 - $1,650.
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Pre-Columbian Andean Woven Tapestry Poncho. Pre-Columbian, Southern Peru / Northern Chile, ca. 14th to 15th century CE. A woven poncho composed of two dark brown rectangular panels joined along the center seam, with a vertical slit left open for the head. Estimate: $900 - $1,350.
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18th C. Islamic Maghrebi Script on Parchment. North Africa or the western Islamic world, Maghrebi cultural sphere, ca. 18th to 19th century CE. A single Qur'an manuscript leaf rendered on parchment in Maghrebi script, the dominant Arabic script historically used from Mali to al-Andalus. Estimate: $700 - $1,050.
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Five Japanese Edo to Meiji Coins & Forgeries. East Asia, Japan, Late Edo to Meiji period, ca. 1830 to 1912 CE. A compact and instructive study group of Japanese ingot coins and forgeries captures a monetary system in transition, where stamped bullion and shifting metal values tell a story of reform, scarcity, and adaptation. Estimate: $700 - $1,050.