Auction of items from Pazo de Meirás

The heirs of former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco have proceeded with an auction in Madrid organized by Magna Art Auctions, involving 689 lots of items originally from the Pazo de Meirás, the dictator’s former summer residence. The collection includes antique furniture, porcelain, paintings, and personal memorabilia, such as embroidered linens bearing Franco’s initials.

During the sale, several items reached significant prices, including a 17th-century Talavera pitcher that sold for 10,000 euros and a heraldic tapestry that fetched 9,000 euros. Other notable sales included Qing dynasty porcelain and various religious artworks.

The auction has faced intense criticism from historical memory associations, such as the Commission for the Recovery of Historical Memory of A Coruña (CRMH). These groups, along with the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMH), argue that the items should be considered part of the national heritage and part of the public domain, calling for a democratic reflection on the sale.

While a Supreme Court ruling established the Spanish state as the owner of the Pazo de Meirás estate, the Ministry of Culture has maintained that the auctioned goods are those that the State did not claim during the judicial process to recover the property.