Variety Sale: Antiquities & Ethnographic Art

In pre-Colombian Central America, frogs symbolized seasonal rainfall and fertility. Leaders often wore gold ornaments modeled after the animal to signal power and honor. Available in the upcoming Antiquities & Ethnographic Art sale, presented by Artemis Gallery, is a 55% gold frog amulet from ancient Panama. This detailed piece has two loops beneath the frog’s head where a chain can be threaded. Also available are several items from Mesoamerica’s Olmec civilization, including a terracotta baby figure. Though few artifacts survive, archaeologists identify the Olmec people as the frontrunners for both the Mayans and the Aztecs. The available sculpture has an elongated head and pronounced navel. 

Several antique knives and weapons will also be included in the auction. Among these is an American steel knife that was owned by Bluford “Blue” Duck, an Oklahoma outlaw. Born in the Cherokee Nation, Duck spent several years committing robberies and holdups across the Western frontier. For a time, he famously partnered with Belle Starr, another notorious outlaw. This knife has a tapered, single-edged blade with a wooden handle. A Mexican steel knife from the 1830s is also featured. It has a carved bone handle and a small floral punch-out on the blade. 

Two Pablo Picasso etchings from his Vollard Suite are offered as well. Ambroise Vollard, an influential French art dealer, commissioned 100 etchings during the 1930s. The artist was reportedly paid with original paintings from Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Trois Acteurs (Three Actors) #145 shows a bearded actor dressed in a traditional Shakespearean costume. The second piece, titled Modèle Contemplant un Groupe Sculpté (Model Contemplating a Sculptural Group) #175, depicts a kneeling woman reaching out to a sculpture of a rearing horse. Due to Vollard’s death and the onset of World War II, these etchings did not come to the art market until the 1950s. Visit LiveAuctioneers for more information and to register to bid.