Restitution of three Marey chronophotographs at the Collège de France

On Wednesday, February 15, Serge Plantureux, bookseller-publisher, Alexandre Giquello and David Nordmann, master auctioneers, and Antoine Romand, expert, turned over three chronophotographic negatives on glass plates by Étienne-Jules Marey to Monsieur Pierre Corvol, Collège de France administrator, in the presence of Madame Claire Guttinger, curator, head of archives and of Professor Alain Berthoz, honorary professor of the Physiology of Perception and Action Chair at the Collège de France and member of the Académie des sciences. 
These three plates were listed as missing during the 1995 inventory. Discovered in the attic of the physiology station of the Parc des Princes prior to its demolition and that of the Marey Institute in 1979, they will return to the College de France archives where Marey sat as chairman of the Natural and Organic History department from 1869 to 1903. 
They reappeared on the market in 2001 and were acquired, in “all honesty”, by a person living outside France who, for the moment, remains anonymous. 
In 2007, they were found, under the expertise of Grégory Leroy, at a photography sale on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 in the Artcurial sales catalog, non illustrated, bearing lot numbers 186 and 187. 
186 -- ÉTIENNE-JULES MAREY (1830-1904) 
Movement study, circa 1850, negative on glass, 9 x 6,5 cm (3,51 x 2,54 in.) : 5 000 / 7 000 € 
187 -- ÉTIENNE-JULES MAREY (1830-1904) 
Movement study, circa 1890. Negative on glass, 8,2 x 6,5 cm (3,2 x 2,54 in.) : 5 000 / 7 000 €. 
Unsold, these same items will reappear in the Kapandji and Morhange Auction catalogue for a November 14th 2012 sale. Lot number 40, under the expertise of Antoine Roman who didn’t question their origins as they had already been put on the market several years earlier. This lot is illustrated and described as “Chronophotographs of trampoline jumps. Three glass plate negatives in their crystal paper envelope, with reference numbers 146, 150 and 153 and in three formats: 8,2x6,5cm, 9x6,8cm et 9x6,5cm." 
Estimated 6000/8000€, they sold for 5800€.  
They should have appeared in the December 12 Binoche-Giquello sale bearing numbers 182,184 et 186 and were reproduced in the catalog. 
This is what allowed Martha Braun and Thierry Gervais to identify them and alert Serge Plantureux. After having contacted the Collège de France, Serge Plantureux was certain that they were indeed the missing lots. 
Mr. Giquello immediately decided to remove them from the auction and study the procedure for returning them to the Collège de France. Mr. Nordman also elected to removed them from the Kapandji Morhange sale where they were listed as lot number 40. The new owner agreed to rally with the auctioneers and returned the plates to the Collège de France archives, yet reserving the right to file suit if necessary.

Bernard Perrine
Bernard.Perrine1@orange.fr