PARIS—The June tribal art auctions at Christie’s and Sotheby’s in Paris were mixed affairs. In particular, Christie’s strategy of not holding African and Oceanic art sales in New York while concentrating on strengthening its tribal sales in the French capital is obviously not working. The house’s resulting auction on June 16 was weak, filled with items of low value and even lower estimates. As a result, it was a boon for dealers who took the opportunity to replenish their stock at bargain-basement prices.

Of the 322 lots offered at Christie’s, 197 were sold, for a total of €1,017,787 ($1,422,785). The most expensively estimated lot, a large Maori sculpture priced at €150–250,000, failed to sell. The highest price achieved was €51,400, paid for a Fang female reliquary figure (est. €40–60,000). Two bidders competed for a Lega ivory pendant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which brought €50,200 (est. €$30–40,000).

Sotheby’s sale the following afternoon featured the private collection of Philippe Guimiot and his wife, Domitilla de Grunne. Guimiot, a Brussels dealer considered one of the greatest in his field, retired five years ago. The sale generated lots of buzz, as Guimiot is known for his eye: He saw beauty in eroded pieces, which are not traditionally appreciated by the market. In addition to African and Oceanic art, he was interested in Southeast Asian art. One of the most admired works in the sale was an eroded Jarai funerary figure from Vietnam’s Central Highlands, which Guimiot brought out of that country in 1971. During the exhibition, viewers were “breathless” in front of it, says Marguerite de Sabran, director of Sotheby’s African and Oceanic Art department in Paris. It sold for €180,750 (est. €70–100,000).

Overall, though, the Sotheby’s sale was a disappointment. The 65 lots offered were estimated to bring €3.7–4.8 million but only reached a total of €2,407,500, with 42 lots finding buyers. Despite considerable pre-sale excitement and a packed salesroom, most of the top lots failed to sell or even attract any bidders at all. Among them was a large Urhobo female figure from Nigeria, collected in situ by Guimiot in 1972. Estimated at €300–500,000, the piece, which entered the collection of Belgian Count Baudouin de Grunne the following year, returned to Guimiot in May 2000 at Sotheby’s New York, where he bought it for $78,375. In Paris, the sculpture was bought in at €230,000.

“It was not an easy piece,” says Jean Fritts, Sotheby’s international director of African and Oceanic art. “We have had two Urhobo pieces since 2006. One sold for $1 million and one for $150,000. They are not frequently seen, so it’s hard to judge the market.”

Another disappointment was a Bamileke queen figure with child from the Cameroons that once belonged to British sculptor/collector Jacob Epstein. It sank without a bid (est. €500–800,000), as did a much-admired Bongo memorial figure from Sudan (est. €250–400,000).

Among the Guimiot lots that sold well were a Chokwe female mask from Angola that made €420,750 (est. €300–450,000), a Songye fetish figure from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that brought €348,750 (est. €300–450,000), and a Fang figure from Gabon, which fetched $264,750 (est. €200–300,000).

The various-owner sale that followed saved the day at Sotheby’s, bringing in €3,601,500 and raising the total for both sessions to €6 million, the low pre-sale estimate. Six of the top 10 lots for the day were from this second session, chief among them a superb Kwele altar figure from Gabon with an elongated head emerging from a stool-shaped support. It brought loud applause when it sold, over the telephone, for €971,950 (est. €450–600,000). A Kongo ivory staff finial, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, thought to date from the late 18th century, set a record for a Kongo ivory when it sold for €360,750 (est. €150–200,000).