The sale of Mexican cultural assets continues in France. This time, two pre-Hispanic pieces: an Olmec mask and a sculpture from the central Gulf of Mexico coast, were put up for auction yesterday by the French auction house Chaville Enchères through the AuctionFR platform. The pieces are titled Paintings, Sculptures, Contemporary, Far East, Pre-Columbian Art.
According to the opinion of specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the mask, "due to the characteristics of shape and style observed in the image, is an Olmec piece manufactured between the years 800 BC and 400 BC, made in rock using the techniques of percussion carving, polishing, drilling and carved grooves, which represents the human face of an Olmec figure."
In the catalog of the French auction house Chaville Enchères, this piece was assigned as lot 65, with the following description: “Small 'Jaguar Shaman' transformation mask in green serpentine,” with an estimated sale price of between 10,000 and 15,000 euros (that is, more than 200,000 and 300,000 pesos).
The same catalogue states that the piece's provenance is "Robert Fitzgerald, USA - Private collection - Paris" and that the buyer will receive "a complete study of this mask, conducted by Peter Furst, anthropologist and specialist in Mesoamerica."
With lot number 67, "due to its shape and style, it is a sculpture from the central part of the Gulf of Mexico coast, manufactured between 200 AD and 900 AD," noted INAH specialists.
"It is an anthropomorphic figure made of smooth clay with pastillage applications and incisions. It represents a standing male figure, arms at his sides, wearing a headdress, earmuffs, a necklace, and a loincloth; his pupils are coated with black pigment."
In this catalogue, the piece was assigned lot 67, with the following description: “Standing figure dressed in a light brown terracotta loincloth,” with an estimated sale price of between 2,000 and 4,000 euros (almost 42,000 pesos and more than 83,000 pesos).
Regarding its provenance, it is explained that “it is a piece acquired by the current owner from the Mermoz-Paris gallery in 1992.”
