Third Auction Catalog from Paris Auction Company - Hopi Katsina dolls, Rio Grande Pueblo Katsina mask, prehistoric wood Kokopelli fertility, Hopi embroidered sash [SOLD]

Third and Final Auction Catalog from Paris Auction Company - Hopi Katsina dolls, Rio Grande Pueblo Katsina mask, prehistoric wood Kokopelli fertility, Hopi embroidered sash

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

On 1 June 2015, Eve Auction House in Paris held an auction of American Indian, Pre-columbian, 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. Click here to view the catalog now.

Six month later, on 7 December 2015, E&ve - estimations ventes aux enchères Auction House, Paris France held another auction with 100 items of Native American property.  Approximately a third of the items were outstanding old Hopi Katsina dolls, there was a gourd rattle or two, a dozen Katsina masks, and some carved fetish-like sculptures, bull roarers and some Navajo masks and fetishes.  Click here to view the catalog now.

There was another auction in June 2016 but we do not have a catalog from that one so do not know what controversial items may have been shown and sold.

Another auction of Native American items was conducted on 23 June 2017.  This is the last auction catalog in my possession.  There were only six Hopi Katsina dolls in this auction and a single Katsina mask which was listed as from a Rio Grande Pueblo, a prehistoric, possibly Mimbres, wood fertility figurine (Kokopelli), and a Hopi wide embroidered sash—nothing controversial except, perhaps the Kokopelli figurine, but I am not aware of any complaints of such.

There was considerable controversy by Hopi and Acoma Pueblos concerning masks and a shield that Acoma claimed had been stolen from the pueblo.  The shield was withdrawn from the auction but has not yet been returned to the people of Acoma.

Since the Katsina collection has dwindled in this auction to only 6 figures, perhaps this will be the last of the item of pueblo origin to be auctioned in Paris.  There is a scheduled American Indian auction for 21 June 2018, but the catalogue is not yet online.

Again, we are listing this catalog because of the Katsina dolls that were for sale.  There were only six, but they were very good ones.  Our reporting on the actions by the auction house and the complaints by the pueblos may not be completely accurate as we have not retained the published news for reference. We are basing our comments on memory.