Helm’s special April Showers Sale is coming up for live bidding on Saturday April 6th, 2019. Over 300 Lots are hitting the action block. This catalog is offering Native American artifacts such as Navajo weavings and Pueblo pottery, Pre-Columbian artifacts, and other pre-historic items such as arrowheads and other stone tools. Also included are Oceanic and African tribal artifacts. This catalog also includes Native American and Mexican jewelry from the 20th century as well as many other items to include blades, antique weapons and art.
Lot 40 is a great example of their selection of baskets. Helm is offering a Pomo Treasure Basket for an opening bid of $1200. This is circa 1900 and made of grass and shell. It measures 12” x 8” x 4” and in very good condition. There is a selection of photos in the online catalog.
The star of the auction is one of the most incredible pieces they will offer all year. Lot 217 presents a Tang Dynasty Terra Cotta Painted Bactrian Camel Figure valued at tens of thousands of dollars. The full description is as follows:
“Tang Dynasty Terra Cotta Painted Bactrian Camel Figure, 8th century item. Made of terra cotta and paint, this fine example of a ceramic, painted Bactrian Camel figure from the Tang dynasty, measures 21” in height, 18” in width and a body depth of 6”. The camel is very finely modeled, with its head raised in a powerful, stately pose, mouth ajar, with an ornately detailed saddle draped over center of the animal’s humps. The figure stands foursquare on a mahogany wood-fitted plinth measuring 8” x 6”. The body is covered with a glaze finish, fine patina and some coloration. The figure has been examined by professional appraisers and Sotheby’s. Provenance: Ex-President Nasser of Egypt – Gamal Abdul Nasser Hussein (1918-1970), 2nd President of Egypt. Nasser gifted the camel figure to Colonel Robert R. McCormick (1880-1955), a Chicago newspaper baron and owner of the Chicago Tribune. McCormick’s wife, Marilyn McCormick, gifted the figure to Dr. J.W. Bizzell, of Chicago, Illinois, a physician and former attaché to the U.S. Ambassador in Moscow, Russia, in the 1960s. Dr. Bizzell performed surgery on several world leaders at the time. Other items of Dr. Bizzell’s collection included an extensive and valuable collection of Russian icons, which were donated to the Timken Museum in San Diego, California, before his passing. Import works of the Dr. Bizzell collection also included works by Kharitonov, one which sold at Sotheby’s in April of 2008 for over $130,000 to the well-known, Russian Kolodzei family, detailed in an article by Forbes in April 2008. Other artists of the Dr. Bizzell collection included Nemeukin, Vereshchagin, Anatolievich and Viktorov, many being sold at auction through Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Leslie Hindman and other sources. Similar items sold at auction and collection records: Rago Auction, 12/4/2010, #129 Tang Dynasty Camel sold for $34,700.00, a Tang Dynasty Horse and Rider figure sold for $125,000.00 on 3/19/2013 at Sotheby’s in New York. In “Departures” magazine’s December 2016 issue, an article shows 2 antique Chinese sculptures of camels on custom plinths, belonging to David Monn, Author & New York’s Grandmaster Event Planner. Note: Please reference images regarding Colonel Robert. R. McCormick and President Nasser of Egypt, as well as images referencing the collection of Tang Horses detailed in November-December 2016 issue of Departures Magazine; a similar Tang camel which sold at Rago auction, and Tang Horse and Figure mentioned above. Condition: Very good, believed to have an old, professional repair but where is not known, see images”
Helm Auctions show their auctions live from El Cajon, California. The event will begin for live bidding around 10:15AM Pacific Time on Saturday April 6th, 2019 Absentee bidding is available now and bidders can join the live auction from any internet enabled device. Helm Auctions had dedicated exceptional attention to this auction and will be able to answer all questions about individual items. The entire catalog is available today with photos and detailed descriptions ready for browsing.