Auction Catalog from Paris Auction Company - American Indian, Precolumbian, and African Art [SOLD]

Auction Catalog from Paris Auction Company - American Indian, Precolumbian, and African Art

E&ve - estimations ventes aux enchères Auction House, Paris France

On 1 June 2015, E&ve - estimations ventes aux enchères Auction House in Paris France held an auction of American Indian, Precolumbian, and African art.  The American Indian items included large selections of older Hopi and Zuni Katsina dolls, katsina dance tabletas, BAE Annual Reports on Katsinas, shields and old katsina masks.

New Mexico Pueblos and the Hopi Pueblo strongly object to the sale of Katsina masks.  An attempt was made by the United States State Department and members of pueblos to stop the sale of the masks, but the French Government stated that it was not illegal to sell them in France and that the French and American governments did not have an agreement that allowed the United States to demand return of the masks.  According to the Hopi, the masks had been stolen from their caretakers on the reservation years ago, but that had no effect on the sale in Paris.

Hopi elders watched the auction as the masks were sold off.  What they did not know was that  the Annenberg Foundation in the United States was bidding and bought all but three of the masks for $530,695.  The Foundation then returned the masks to the Hopi people.

We are posting the catalog of the sale because there are pictures of some absolutely wonderful katsina dolls that any serious collector would love to see.  Of course, the text is in French, but the dolls are worth viewing.  There was no objection to the sale of the dolls, only the masks.