Sotheby’s finished up their Barbier-Mueller sale of pre-Columbian antiquities and it went, roughly, as expected.

From the Sotheby’s Website:

Guillaume Cerutti, President-Directeur General, Sotheby’s France, said: “With a final total of more than €10 million, this sale established a new world record for a sale of Pre-Columbian Art. Despite having achieved less than expected, these results are good considering the context in which the sale unfolded. High prices were achieved for the many iconic pieces which reflect the extraordinary quality of the collection.”

Subtle, Guillaume. Subtle. Wink wink.

By my count Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Venezuela all provided the “context” that Monsieur Cerutti refers to (and maybe Colombia too? I am forget-y and without coffee. A situation to fix). Suffice to say I am now, right this moment, working on something terribly numbers-y and another something very academic about this auction. Details forthcoming.

See I knew that masters in Pre-Conquest American antiquities auctions would be good for something. That doesn’t tell me why that weird bird pot thing sold for €1,609,500. I am not seeing it.