Lot 73

Adena-Hopewell Stone Effigy Pipe - Human Head, Ohio

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Lot 73
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Adena-Hopewell Stone Effigy Pipe - Human Head, Ohio
Adena-Hopewell Stone Effigy Pipe - Human Head, Ohio
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Adena-Hopewell Stone Effigy Pipe - Human Head, Ohio

Estimate: $1,200 - $1,800

Starting Bid: $600

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
July 14, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Native American, Adena to Hopewell culture, ca. 500 BCE – 400 CE. A carved stone pipe rendered as a human head, its rounded crown tapering to a short collared neck incised with fine encircling lines. The face is reduced to essentials: a long ridged nose flanked by two deeply drilled eye pits, set above an open mouth that doubles as the pipe's bowl. The maker exploited the warm tan stone, its surface flecked and stippled with darker mineral inclusions, polishing the contours to a soft sheen. Effigy pipes of this kind were prestige and ritual objects among the Woodland peoples of the Ohio Valley, smoked in ceremonial settings and often interred with the dead. The economy of the carving, abstracting a face to a few gestures, lends the piece a quiet, almost meditative presence characteristic of the region's lapidary tradition. Size: 2" W x 3.4" H x 2.1" D (5.1 cm W x 8.6 cm H x 5.3 cm D).

The Adena and succeeding Hopewell cultures of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys were renowned moundbuilders and accomplished stoneworkers, producing platform and effigy pipes that rank among the finest lapidary art of ancient North America. Pipes carried profound social weight: tobacco and other smoked plants were central to ritual, diplomacy, and communion with the spirit world, and finely worked examples signaled status and ceremonial authority. Fort Ancient, overlooking the Little Miami River in southwestern Ohio, is one of the great earthwork complexes of the region, lending objects found in its vicinity a storied archaeological context.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA Collection; ex-private Denver, Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Flushing, New York and Ridgeway, Colorado, USA collection; found along the Miami River in Fort Ancient, Ohio, USA

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Item # 203059

  • Condition: Excellent. Minor surface wear, but, otherwise, intact and excellent with good remaining detail. Old collection label on one side.

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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