A red-figure Apulian skyphos with Eros and female images, Magna Graecia, Southern Italy, Apulia, ca. 5th to 4th centuries BCE, 12¼ in. high, 11½ in. diameter, est. $7,000-$9,000.
BOULDER, COLO.- Artemis Gallery will launch its busy fall auction season with a Thursday, Sept. 24 online auction led by Part II of the late James Caswell’s collection. Caswell was an artist, National Endowment for the Arts Fellow and respected owner of Historia Antiques in Santa Monica, California. The entire Caswell estate consignment, which comprises approximately 40 to 50 percent of Artemis Gallery’s Ancient, Ethnographic and Spanish Colonial Auction inventory, is cataloged with estimates at or below cost.
“This sale will be an outstanding buying opportunity for dealers and collectors alike,” said Teresa Dodge, managing director of Artemis Gallery. “Rarely do we see material of this caliber ‘priced to sell.’ And due to popular demand, we’re making our Marketplace section of more-affordable items the ‘closer’ in this and all future sales. Collectors love it.”
Several other high-quality collections are represented in the 400-lot event, most notably that of Mexican-born silent film star Lupita Tovar. The pieces acquired by Ms. Tovar have remained on display in her Bel Air mansion for many years.
The auction is broad in scope and contains ancient and ethnographic art from the Americas to Southeast Asia. One of the top highlights is Lot 17, a stunning 31-inch Greek transport amphora, circa 3rd to 2nd century BCE, with provenance from the William Dale collection. Mr. Dale was a lifelong US diplomat who amassed a sizable antiquities collection while posted in the Near East. He brought his collection home to America in 1964. The amphora is estimated at $7,000-$9,000 and, like all items in the auction, is guaranteed authentic, exactly as described in the catalog, and legal to buy/sell under the US statute covering cultural patrimony. Each lot sold will transfer to the new owner with a certificate of authenticity from Artemis Gallery.
Large Ancient Greek Transport Amphora, Greece, Greek Islands, ca. 3rd to 2nd BCE, 31"H x 14" at largest diameter. Estimate $7,000 – $9,000.
A stunning pottery transport amphora dating to the period just after Alexander the Great. Tannish clay, elongated near-conical body with nearly horizontal shoulder; small peg toe with convex bottom; long narrow neck; plain rounded rim, slightly wider than neck. Double-roll acute angular handles with vertical sides, faint stamp impression of maker's mark on top of handle. Custom acrylic base that accentuates the classical lines of this beauty! Appealing to both true lovers of ancient art and those looking for strong aesthetics.
Provenance: Ex-William Dale collection. Mr. Dale was a life-long US diplomat stationed in the Near East and amassed a large collection which he brought back to the US in 1964.
Another great prize is Lot 48, a 2,500-year-old Chinese Warring States bronze axle cap that dates to circa 475-221 BCE. Originally part of a cart or chariot, the vase-form piece is decorated in low relief with sinewy dragons in a cloudy sky. Additional decorative work appears on six triangular panels. Formerly in a Pasadena, California collection, it is expected to make $4,000-$5,000 at auction.
Rare Bronze Axle Cap, China, Warring States Period, ca. 475 to 221 BCE. Estimate$4,000 – $5,000.
An extremely rare and fabulous bronze "hubcap" from a cart or chariot in an almost vase form decorated in low relief with central band comprised of two sinewy dragons in a cloudy sky, on either side 6 triangular panels with cold-worked decorations. Inside the vessel are signs of two iron pins that held this in place. Ironically, just after we found this incredibly rare piece, we found a Han Dynasty pottery Ox Cart with very similar axle caps on each side of the wheels. Size: 8-1/4"H x 3-1/2" at widest diameter.
Provenance: Ex-private Morse collection, Pasadena, CA collection.
“There are so many important items in James Caswell’s collection, it’s difficult to choose even a few that merit special mention, but some of his silver is remarkable,” said Dodge. Lot 180, a circa-1800 Mexican coconut shell chalice fitted with a silver ormolu stem, rim and base is carved with sophisticated sgraffito of a type associated with itinerant traders and sailors of that period. The 8-inch-tall chalice is estimated at $2,500-$3,000.
Colonial Coconut-Silver Chalice, Latin America, Mexico, ca. 1800 CE. Estimate $2,500 – $3,000.
A coconut shell chalice carved with sophisticated sgraffito (shallow scratched etchings) and fitted with a silver ormolu stem, rim and base. The rim is engraved with a personalized inscription in German. In Mexico, the tradition of carving coconut shells began in the 19th century when itinerant traders and sailors were looking for a means to pass the time and created keepsakes for their loved ones. Nails and glass shards were used to create the intricate carvings. This example boasts such a complex and intricate foliate design program; it must have taken weeks to lay out followed by months to actually execute! Size: 8"H x 4-1/2" at widest point.
Provenance: Ex-Historia Gallery, Santa Monica, CA.
An exceptional sterling silver Spanish Colonial-style crown made by Andean silversmiths in Bolivia, circa late-19th to early 20th century, was hand-hammered and expertly molded in repousse, then chased throughout. The wonderfully decorated crown with a cross-shape finial weighs 8.5 ounces and measures 6 by 7 inches. It was likely intended for a santo figure. Also from the Historia Antiques/James Caswell collection, the crown is estimated at $900-$1,200.
Colonial Silver Crown, South America, probably Bolivia, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. Estimate $900 – $1,200.
An exceptional sterling silver Spanish Colonial style crown, hand made by the Andean silversmiths in Bolivia from high content .925 silver using the same techniques used since the Colonial era by the Andean silversmiths, meticulously hand hammered, expertly molded in repousse, and chased throughout. Descendants of the Inca culture, the Aymara speaking artists have devoted themselves to preserving this thousand year old tradition. This crown was most likely intended for a Spanish Colonial Santo figure. A wonderful example for any collection of Spanish colonial devotional art! Unmarked but guaranteed sterling or higher, the crown is comprised of 4 elaborately decorated "arms" attached to a circular base with twin roped bands. Gorgeous! Size: weighs 8.5 ounces; 6"H x 7"W.
Provenance: Ex-Historia Antiques, Santa Monica, ca.
The Caswell collection boasts many fine Latin American retablos, including Lot 169, an artist-signed (Ignacio Munoz) and dated (1868) depiction of Mater Dolorosa, a popular subject venerating the Virgin Mary. Polychrome painted primarily in blues and greens, and measuring 14 by 10 inches, it is modestly estimated at $1,500-$1,800.
Mexican Retablo Mater Dolorosa, Latin America, Mexico, dated 1868 CE. Estimate $900 – $1,200.