Cecil DeMilles Ten Commandments Tablets To Cross The Block Hollywood Treasures Set For Heritage Auctions Entertainment Blockbuster Sale
July 04, 2025
Heritage Auctions will present a landmark entertainment auction event from July 15 to 18. Collectors and cinephiles will find invaluable pieces of entertainment history from beloved films and television shows throughout the auction series. Featured pieces served as the building blocks upon which blockbusters were built, such as the sled named Rosebud from Orson Welles masterpieceCitizen Kane, the inscribed tablets from Cecil B. DeMilles epic The Ten Commandments, Indiana Jones bullwhip from The Last Crusade, Luke Skywalkers Red Five X-wing from The Empire Strikes Back and artist Bob Peaks original key artwork for Apocalypse Now, to name a few. The four-day event will begin with treasures from theCecil B. DeMille Lifetime Collection. Day two, three, and four will boastartworks from Bob Peakplus hundreds of iconic props, costumes, art pieces, and treasures from cinemas rich and vast history. This is not just the most important entertainment event weve ever held; its one of the most important in entertainment auction history, according to Joe Maddalena, Heritages executive vice president. From DeMilles camera and Rosebud itself to Luke Skywalkers X-wing and Indiana Jones whip, these arent just props. Theyre mythic objects. They tell the story of Hollywoods greatest moments, one piece at a time, each tied to a memory, a performance, a legend. Were honored to bring them to the fans, collectors and institutions who will preserve them for the generations to come. Leading up to the auction, items will be on display for the public at Heritage Auctions in Beverly Hills, Calif. Heritage is honored that the DeMille family has entrusted it with the privilege of presentingan extraordinary and historic collection, a tribute to the man who made Hollywood the capital of the motion picture industry. Among the most prized treasures offered in the day one DeMille session isthe actual Pathcamera used to film The Squaw Man his 1914 directorial debut and the first feature film shot in Hollywood. From that pivotal moment forward, DeMilles career was shaped by his innovation and his unmatched commitment to storytelling and spectacle. Also featured is one of the most visually and symbolically powerful mementos of DeMilles career: the red granite tablets of The Ten Commandments, created in connection with his epic 1956 production. Carved from granite quarried from Mount Sinai, the tablets are unique and beloved artifacts from DeMilles personal collection and embody the spiritual gravitas and visual grandeur that DeMille brought to his biblical epics. Collectors will also discover original significant props, such as the golden calf from The Ten Commandments, as well as concept art, detailed costume sketches, storyboards and awards from DeMilles remarkable history of filmmaking. Each item in the collection is a testament not only to DeMilles legacy but also to the story of Hollywoods birth and rise, said Maddalena. Whether youre a seasoned collector, film historian or passionate admirer of classic cinema, youll find an unprecedented opportunity to connect with the very roots of film history. Rosebud is among the most potent symbols of cinematic storytelling from a film that defined the language of cinema. Orson Welles tale of mogul Charles Foster Kane often tops the list of best movies of all time, and Rosebud, Kanes childhood sled, is at the heart of it. Long thought lost,this original Rosebud sled from Citizen Kaneis one of only three known to survive and was miraculously saved from disposal by director Joe Dante in 1984 while filming on the former RKO studio lot. Crafted of pine and matching the detailing of the known examples, this sled is a fabled artifact from Welles masterpiece. Joe Dante, the director of Gremlinsand The Howling, was not a collector but recognized the sleds importance, and he preserved it quietly for decades, even planting it as an Easter egg in four of his own films. There is some extraordinary original artwork in this auction, the first glimpse of posters that would become as iconic as the movies they were meant to advertise.In a landmark offering of original movie poster art,Heritage Auctions will present 12 striking large-format paintings by legendary illustrator Bob Peak. These vibrant, cinematic works, consigned by Peaks family, showcase the bold style that revolutionized film advertising in the 20th century.At the center is Peaks iconic mixed-media artwork for Apocalypse Now a haunting synthesis of Brando, Sheen and the films fever-dream intensity. Screen-matched to the climactic Grail Temple sequence in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the original 12-foot bullwhip, crafted from hand-braided kangaroo leather, is the very whip seen at Harrison Fords side as Indy faces the final deadly trials protecting the Holy Grail. Expert analysis confirms its distinctive curvature, handle shape, and leather plaiting match the whip seen as Indy kneels to save his wounded father. Presented by the films producers to then Prince Charles at the 1989 Royal Charity Premiere in London, and later gifted by Princess Diana, this whip is authenticated by Lucasfilm and backed by detailed analysis. With documented screen use, elite provenance, and its unforgettable appearance at the films emotional peak, this is one of the most important Indiana Jones artifacts ever to surface. Few props in television history are as instantly iconic as Jeannies bottle, and this screen-used original from I Dream of Jeannie is the real thing. Studio-painted over a 1964 Jim Beam decanter in rich purples, oranges and golds, this bottle appeared on screen throughout the shows color seasons and was gifted by special effects legend Richard Albain to associate producer Joseph Goodson at series end. In 2025, Goodson reunited with Barbara Eden, who personally signed the bottle in silver and black ink. Housed in Barbara Edens own custom travel case, the same one she used to carry her personal Jeannie bottle, now held by the Smithsonian, this piece carries unmatched provenance and nostalgia. It is accompanied by letters of authenticity from both Eden and Goodson. Photo-matched to a key on-set image of Kurt Russell in Tombstone, the hero Colt .45 Buntline Special is one of only three live-fire revolvers used by Russell as Wyatt Earp, and the only one ever to reach public auction. Featuring the engraved brass grip badge reading To Wyatt Earp, Peacemaker and the distinct swirled case-hardening finish unique to the screen-used prop, this legendary firearm embodies the grit, myth and cinematic punch of one of the greatest modern Westerns. These are just a handful of the covetable treasures on offer in a four-day event that together make up more than a thousand items, the very building blocks of our entertainment history. To learn more, visit www.HA.com.
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