Stone Sphere Travels To France

One of the famous, mysterious and intriguing stone spheres of Costa Rica’s Southern Zone will be the cultural representative of the pre-Columbian people of this country at the June 20 opening of a new museum in Paris, France.

An initiative of French President Jacques Chirac, the Musée du Quai Branly in downtown Paris, not far from the Eiffel Tower, is dedicated to “the original arts and civilizations” of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

“We want to affirm the importance of these arts and of cultural diversity,” French Ambassador Jean Paul Monchau told The Tico Times.

The sphere – on loan from the National Museum in San José for five years – will be in plain view of every visitor to the museum in its location in the entrance lobby.

One of 300,000 pieces included in the museum, the stone sphere weighs 1.5 tons and stands higher than a meter tall, Monchau said.