PRIMITIVE ARTS

PRIMITIVE ARTS AUCTIONS

The Archaeology department specialises in auctions of primitive and early art. The term was coined in the 1970s by art collector and dealer Jacques Kerchache. The term refers to the traditional art of non-Western cultures. All the lots we are pleased to offer for sale are appraised by Serge Reynes and Romain Beot.

 

Primitive art includes art from Africa, Oceania, Asia, the Inuit, Amerindian and Pre-Columbian cultures, among others

 

 

 

Primitive and masterful arts

 

Marked by a unique style and clan affiliation, each of the objects championed by MILLON's Arts Premiers department is selected for its rarity, history, beauty and provenance.

From private collections spanning generations, these works reflect artistic creations that are the antithesis of the classicism of European art, made from noble materials such as stone, jade, gold, wood, bronze or brass?

These works were created at the time of the great civilisations and illustrious peoples who inhabited these distant lands, such as the Mochicas, Incas, Baule, Dayak, Inuits, Haidas, Marquesas Islands, Maoris, Kanaks, Kuba, Fang, Punu, Vanuatu, Malekula and Australian Aborigines, Easter Island, Nok, Djené, Bura, Igbo, Sénoufo, Olmec, Garai, Ifugao, Toma, Makondé, Congo, Maya, Luba, Songye, Aztec, Colima, Quimbaya, Casa Grande, Hopi, Apache, Cheyenne, Tlingit, Nicoya, Taironas, Bambara, Dogon, Tchokwé, Tumaco, Navajo, Nazca, Chimú, Diquis, ..

 

 

In MILLON's auctions of Primitive Art you will find these major themes:

 

• Ancient tribal art and ethnography from Africa, Oceania and Indonesia.
• Animist art from the Himalayas and Southeast Asia.
• Ancient art and ethnography of the aboriginal peoples of Australia.
• Art of the great civilisations of pre-Columbian America.
• Art and ethnography of the Amerindians.
• Traditional and popular art from Africa and Latin America.

 

 

Results

 

Arts Premiers sales boast excellent results:

 

• At an auction in 2019, a magnificent ceremonial mask, formerly in the possession of a shaman lord, decorated with four mythical birds, sold for 77,000 euros. This rare object dates from the Formative period (circa 100 BC - 200 AD) and comes from Yotoco, a province of Calima in Colombia.

 

• On 22 June 2023, a Punu mask from Gabon broke records by fetching 237,000 euros.

 

• A beige terracotta cylindrical ceremonial vase with polychrome decoration from the Maya city in Mexico, dating from 550 - 850 AD, sold for a record 32,000 euros at an auction in 2021.

 

 

Services

 

Constantly on the lookout for objects and paintings, Serge REYNES, the department's expert, and Romain Béot, like to satisfy a clientele of well-informed collectors. To this end, they can provide you with information on the identification and value of your objects. A simple souvenir? A historical object? Many treasures are discovered every year.

Would you like a free, confidential estimate? Our team is there for you, with no obligation on your part.

Our team is here to help and advise you, whether you are building up a collection or looking to sell at the best price.