Lot 134

Woodland to Mississippian Stone & Pottery Mortars and Pestles - 22 Miniatures

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Lot 134
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Woodland to Mississippian Stone & Pottery Mortars and Pestles - 22 Miniatures
Woodland to Mississippian Stone & Pottery Mortars and Pestles - 22 Miniatures
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Woodland to Mississippian Stone & Pottery Mortars and Pestles - 22 Miniatures

Estimate: $600 - $900

Starting Bid: $300

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT (In Progress)
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Native American, Woodland to Mississippian cultures, ca. 1000 BCE – 1500 CE. A compact assembly of twenty-two diminutive grinding implements, gathered as a study collection of mortars and pestles worked in stone and fired clay. The mortars present cupped and basined depressions ground into rounded cobbles and hand-formed pottery bodies, their interiors smoothed by repeated use; the accompanying pestles are short, blunt-ended rollers and hand stones sized to the palm. Surfaces range from warm sandstone ochres to mottled tan and grey, several retaining the patina of long burial. Such small-scale tools served the daily preparation of pigments, medicines, seeds, and foodstuffs, the modest scale suggesting personal or specialized processing rather than communal milling. Together they document the enduring grinding technologies of the Eastern Woodlands across the Woodland and Mississippian horizons. Size of largest: 3.2" W x 1.7" H x 2.9" D (8.1 cm W x 4.3 cm H x 7.4 cm D).

Provenance: private Colorado, USA Collection; ex-private Denver, Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Flushing, New York and Ridgeway, Colorado, USA collection

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Item # 203049

  • Condition: Fair. Nicks, chips, and abrasions throughout and weathering as shown. Earthen deposits to surfaces.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000