“The wolves have entered Paris,” Serge Reggiani once sang. Fifty years later, a triceratops enters the Marais!
The frightening reptile, herbivorous but extremely dangerous, is on display in a window until October 15, rue des Archives, a stone's throw from the BHV, right next to Eataly and the Moncler boutique. Then, it will go to Drouot, where it will be sold at auction on October 21 by the auctioneers of the Binoche and Giquello firm.
Listed for sale at 800.000 euros, its value is estimated between 1,2 and 1,5 million euros.
Big John - that's his name - seems to come straight out of Jurassic Park , the film by Steven Spielberg. However, it is very real.
Discovered in North Dakota, in the United States, in 2014, this dinosaur is even exceptional: “There are only 41 specimens of triceratops skulls in the world and only around ten complete skeletons”, underlines the expert paleontologist Iacopo Briano.
“At seven meters (715 cm exactly) from head to tail, Big John is the largest triceratops in the world, which will put him in the Guinness Book of Records,” adds auctioneer Violette Stcherbatcheff, general director of the Binoche and Giquello study.
Better: 60% of his body bones and 75% of those of the skull are authentic (the missing parts were restored by casting), which is an unusual ratio.
“The presence of such a prehistoric animal is extremely rare,” enthuses Me Stcherbatcheff. It is an exceptional piece; we had to present it to the public. »
Displayed in a window in the former Gucci store, “Big John” can be visited on Thursdays and Fridays.
Triceratops lived between 70 and 65 million years ago in what is now North America before becoming extinct when an asteroid hit planet Earth. “Big John and his ilk were not particularly friendly,” explains paleontologist Iacopo Briano with a smile. The proof ? The tyrannosaurus rex, or T-Rex, did not dare to approach it…”
Big John was a fighter. A perforation at the upper right level of its collar attests to this. It is probably due to a congener. Who probably had a bad time. Because Big John, you shouldn't look for him!
Until October 15
Public exhibition of “Big John”:
Rue des Archives
13, rue des Archives, 75004 Paris
Thursdays from 18 p.m. to 22 p.m. and Fridays from 12 p.m. to 19 p.m.
At the Drouot hotel
9 Rue Drouot, 75009 Paris
Monday 18, Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 from 11 a.m. to 18 p.m.
Sale of “Big John” and other prehistoric objects (fossils, skeletons) at Hôtel Drouot, Thursday October 21, 2021. The auctions are led by the auctioneers from the Binoche and Giquello firm.
Text and photos: Axel G. – Instagram
30.09.21
