THE HISTORIC TROVE INCLUDES PROPS, STORYBOARDS, AWARDS, CONCEPT ART AND MORE FROM THE LEGENDARY FILMMAKER WHO HELPED LAUNCH HOLLYWOOD
By Christina Rees | July 1, 2025
From directing the first feature film shot in Hollywood to creating some of the most iconic films in cinematic history, Cecil B. DeMille was a pioneer and architect of the entertainment industry. On July 15, in tribute to the man who made Hollywood the capital of the motion picture industry, Heritage Auctions will present Treasures From the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Collection – a historic trove featuring more than 270 lots, each one a cornerstone of DeMille’s monumental legacy in Hollywood.
This landmark offering from one of the most influential figures in entertainment history includes props from DeMille’s best-known features, storyboards, concept art, scripts, costumes, career awards and prized personal items. The auction, which tells a story not only of DeMille’s visionary filmmaking but of Hollywood’s very foundation, spans the filmmaker’s unparalleled career, from The Squaw Man, the first feature film made in Hollywood, to The Ten Commandments, one of the most iconic epics in cinematic history.
DeMille with the Pathé camera he used to film 1914’s ‘The Squaw Man,’ the movie that launched his career as a director and established Hollywood as the epicenter of the film industry
“Each item in the collection is a testament not only to DeMille’s legacy but also to the story of Hollywood’s birth and rise,” says Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s Executive Vice President. “Whether you’re a seasoned collector, film historian or passionate admirer of classic cinema, you’ll find an unprecedented opportunity to connect with the very roots of film history.”
Among the treasures is the Pathé camera DeMille used to film The Squaw Man, his 1914 directorial debut. From that pivotal moment forward, DeMille’s career was shaped by his innovation and his unmatched commitment to storytelling and spectacle. Not only did The Squaw Man launch DeMille’s film career, but it also established Hollywood as the epicenter of the burgeoning new industry. DeMille retained his Pathé camera from The Squaw Man for the rest of his life, even making the first shot of 1936’s The Plainsman and a 1939 newsreel segment with the camera.
DeMille’s personally owned Ten Commandments tablets carved from red granite quarried from the slopes of Mount Sinai
Also offered is one of the most visually and symbolically powerful mementos of DeMille’s career: a promotional pair of red granite tablets of the Ten Commandments, created in connection with his epic 1956 production. Carved from granite quarried from Mount Sinai – the hallowed ground where Moses stood when God revealed himself in the burning bush and where the Ten Commandments were “written with the finger of God” – the tablets are unique and beloved artifacts from DeMille’s personal collection and embody the spiritual gravitas and visual grandeur he brought to his biblical epics.
For their creation, DeMille consulted with scholars of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, and Dr. Ralph Marcus wrote for him a version of the Ten Commandments in early Canaanite lettering. This unique pair, which DeMille showcased in his home for years, represents the ultimate display piece of one of the most iconic artifacts in film history.
Anne Baxter ‘Nefretiri’ turquoise gown from ‘The Ten Commandments’ (Paramount, 1956)
Claudette Colbert ‘Cleopatra’ costume sketch for ‘Cleopatra’ (Paramount, 1934)
Collectors will also discover original props, such as the golden calf from The Ten Commandments, Henry Wilcoxon’s “King Richard the Lionheart” winged helmet and Ian Keith’s “Saladin” hero scimitar and scabbard from 1935’s The Crusades, and the intricate Holy Grail from 1926’s The King of Kings, famously used in the Last Supper scene.
Significant costumes and costume designs also shape the auction, including Anne Baxter’s “Nefretiri” turquoise gown from The Ten Commandments, designed by none other than legendary costume designer Edith Head, and Loretta Young’s “Berengaria” cream satin gown from The Crusades, created by costume designer Travis Banton and worn by Berengaria when King Richard crowns her the Queen of England. They are joined by incredible costume sketches, such as Head’s intricate drawings for Hedy Lamarr’s “Delilah” peacock gown for 1949’s Samson and Delilah and Banton’s concept for Claudette Colbert’s “Cleopatra” dress from 1934’s Cleopatra.
Harold von Schmidt painting for ‘Samson and Delilah’ (Paramount, 1949)
The epic storyboards and concept art that shaped DeMille’s visions are included in this event as well. Among the highlights: the group of storyboards depicting the dramatic “Parting of the Red Sea” scene in The Ten Commandments and an impressive large-scale painting by Harold von Schmidt for Samson and Delilah. Von Schmidt was associated with the New York Society of Illustrators, whose faculty of 10 renowned painters (including Norman Rockwell, Ben Stahl and Robert Fawcett) were commissioned by DeMille and Paramount to submit their individual interpretations of the movie.
The auction also features gorgeous original concept artworks by Fortunino Matania for The Ten Commandments. Matania, revered for his realistic historical paintings, was enlisted by DeMille to create authentic concept designs featuring Roman and Egyptian iconography.
DeMille’s personal Underwood typewriter used for ‘The Squaw Man’
DeMille’s Golden Globe Award for ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ (1952)
Among the personal items on offer is DeMille’s Underwood No. 5 typewriter used to type the entire scenario for The Squaw Man, which was written in long hand by DeMille and co-writer Oscar Apfel on the train from New York to Los Angeles. Also featured is DeMille’s Golden Globe Award for best picture for 1952’s The Greatest Show on Earth, which beat out High Noon and Come Back, Little Sheba. DeMille’s name is nearly synonymous with the Golden Globes, as the previous year he was given an award named in his honor due to his internationally recognized status in the industry. The Cecil B. DeMille Award has been handed out every year to respected industry leaders. Another highlight is DeMille’s bound presentation script for The Ten Commandments, a unique publication highlighting pivotal moments from each scene accented with a corresponding 35mm film frame.
The Heritage auction was made possible by DeMille’s granddaughter Cecilia DeMille Presley, a documentary filmmaker and founding board member of the American Film Institute, and his grandson Joseph Harper, both of whom were effectively raised by DeMille on his film sets and at his home. “It was a big home … big enough [for] items from his long and successful film career,” Presley says. “These treasures should be in the hands of people who know what film is. No one has had a greater impact on the history and development of the motion picture.”
