The appraised work is a hand-painted ceramic sculpture by Mexican artist Sergio Bustamante (b. 1949). He is best known for whimsical depictions of animals, often endowed with humanistic characteristics and symbolism. The artist works in a variety of different media, including bronze, papier maché, wood, and ceramic. Bustamante routinely paints and/or glazes his sculptures, which enhances their playful, yet surrealist aesthetics. The appraised work, which depicts a conch shell with eight brightly colored frogs peering out from the outer lip, possibly alludes to cleansing and transformation. Both shells and frogs are associated with water, and the amphibian’s biological transition from tadpole to frog could symbolize change and metamorphosis.

The estimate provided is based on comparable ceramic examples by the artist recently sold at auction. Bustamante sculptures regularly come up at auction and are frequently offered on the retail market. In many cases, pricing for comparables available on the primary (retail) market vary and are often higher than secondary (auction) market examples. The appraised work’s subject, size, medium, overall composition, plus the artist's overall auction market were taken into consideration in establishing the estimate.