Ancient | Near-Eastern | Asian Art

The upcoming Ancient | Near-Eastern | Asian Art sale, presented by Artemis Gallery, highlights a painting by Masoud Yasami. An Iranian American artist, Yasami’s abstract multi-dimensional works deal with space, color, illusion, balance, and chaos. He uses a variety of mediums and materials to create his works. As the artist says, “For many years I have dealt with gravitational force as the drama in my work; for example creating the illusion of forcing a rod to bend or a sphere to fall out of its position of balance and harmony.” The available 1990 piece, Composition with an Open Door, shows cloudy skies, a flowing waterfall, a silhouette of a fern leaf, and a lily.

The auction also offers over 200 lots of decorative arts. Standing out among them is an ancient Hawaiian grey basalt adz. The basalt was likely quarried from Mauna Kea, Hawaii, the largest primitive rock quarry on the islands. Adzes were essential tools used to shape everything from canoes to idols. The available hand-knapped rock would have been used for cutting, smoothing, and carving wood. A 19th-century Isfahan tile is also notable. This eight-pointed ceramic tile features a man on horseback. Several birds and a hare are depicted on the blue background. View the full catalog and register to bid online on Bidsquare.