French State Seizes Historic Saint Denis Windows Right Before Auction

by Vincent Noce

France, c. 1140-1144. Two monks watching over the body of Saint Benedict, stained glass, 44.4 x 31.3 cm (17.49 x 12.33 in). Photo Pierre Bergé & Associés

Two days before the sale, the auctioneer received an e-mail requesting their withdrawal on the grounds that they might belong to the State, yet the auction’s organizers had informed the ministry about it six weeks earlier. Bergé chairman Antoine Godeau says they had no time to prepare a response. Whatever the outcome of the ministry’s procedure, the sale was sabotaged.

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French State Seizes Historic Saint Denis Windows Right Before Auction

The forced withdrawal from a January 27 Pierre Bergé sale at Drouot of two stained glass windows from the abbey church of Saint-Denis illustrates the Ministry of Culture’s high-handedness and betrays a certain amount of scorn for the history of our heritage.

by Vincent Noce