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Video length: 6 min
Heritage: an auctioneer travels through the villages of the South-West in search of treasures hidden in attics
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For two years, Marc Labarbe has been traveling through the villages of the South-West and examining the pieces brought to him. Some individuals hide treasures in their attics whose value they were completely unaware of.
“It’s fascinating, the freshness of the colors after so many centuries”, enthuses Johanna Blancard de Léry, expert in Asian arts. Five Chinese paintings from the 17th century were forgotten in an attic. “These paintings were found at the home of a client, a private individual. And one day, this lady comes with her drawing bag (…). And it turns out that they are drawings from the imperial court, ultra-rare”, she says. They will soon be put up for auction, for an amount that could reach 100,000 euros.
Around thirty municipalities per year
In his truck, Rémi Martin, Expertibus assistant, sets off to find and appraise objects from village to village. “In these times, sometimes, getting a little money is nice.” This concept was imagined two years ago by an auctioneer based in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). “What’s fun is finding yourself next to the butcher, the butcher, the cheese maker”says Marc Labarbe, whose idea, “at first, seemed very absurd”. On average, he visits around thirty municipalities in the South-West twice a year.
