- Rare African mask sold
- Dealer retains £3.6 million
- Court rejects couple’s claim
A secondhand dealer retained the €4.2 million (£3.6 million; $4.6 million) profit generated from the sale of an uncommon African mask discovered in the attic of an elderly French couple.
He was employed to assist in decluttering the couple’s attic; subsequently, they traded him the disguise for €150 (£129; $165).
The couple filed a suit, alleging the item’s value had been misrepresented.
However, the judge dissented, stating they had neglected to recognize the true value of the artwork.
The Ngil mask, crafted by the Fang people of Gabon, is regarded as one of an estimated ten such masks worldwide.
Organizational members of the Ngil secret society would have donned it. Historiographers contend that individuals traversed villages in pursuit of tumultuous beings, including those suspected of being sorcerers.
Grandfather of the plaintiff René-Victor Edward Maurice Fournier, a French colonial governor during the 19th century, most likely obtained the wooden disguise “under unidentified circumstances” around 1917.
The family retained ownership of the item until it was subsequently sold to the dealer. It was then transferred to an unidentified buyer at auction.
The couple had petitioned the court for a portion of the sale proceeds, alleging the dealer had misled them regarding the mask’s true value.
The dealer denied knowing the mask was so valuable and claimed his offer of €300,000, the mask’s initial value, to the couple constituted benevolence.
His attorney argued the couple had neglected to determine the actual value of the item before selling it. “Before giving it up, you should be a little more inquisitive when you have such an item in your home,” Patricia Pijot advised French media.
Legal Ruling and Cultural Dispute
The judge ruled with the dealer because the pair failed to properly appraise the mask’s “historical and artistic” value.
The offer was withdrawn after the couple filed a lawsuit.
The couple’s attorney, Frédéric Mansat Jaffré, stated, “The judge has established a precedent… “Either you or I will be required to consult a professional before seeking the opinion of another professional.”
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Gabon had independently requested to stop selling the mask, claiming it was national property. However, the court disregarded that argument as well.
France had established a colony in the West African nation when Fournier obtained the disguise.
Outside the continent, tens of thousands of works of African art are kept. The majority were eliminated throughout the colonial period, occasionally in contentious situations.
In the past, Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, has advocated for the return of African artwork.
In 2017, he stated, “I cannot accept that France houses a significant portion of the cultural heritage of several African nations.”
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