In an unexpected turn of events, a second-hand merchant in France is facing legal proceedings over claims of deception. The trial stems from an issue that arose when a French pensioner couple sold an African mask to the dealer for €150, only to discover at an auction half a year later that the mask had actually fetched a staggering €4.2 million. The mask, of Gabonese origin, was subsequently the subject of a lawsuit, with the government of Gabon demanding its restoration.
The chain of events commenced when the aged couple, residing in central France and now well into their 80s, requested the dealer to tidy up their holiday residence near Alès. The dwelling had formerly been the abode of René-Victor Fournier, a colonial officer in the early 1900s. In the process, the dealer stumbled upon the wooden mask, hidden away in a cupboard. He maintains that he was unaware of the mask’s exorbitant worth when he acquired it.
The true value of the mask was brought to the couple’s attention in March 2022. While perusing an auction catalog in the city of Montpellier, they realized that they had chanced upon a rarity—a 19th-century “Ngi” mask, created by the Fang people of Gabon. According to the catalog, Fournier had obtained the mask around 1917, yet the circumstances surrounding its acquisition remained ambiguous.
An expert appraised its value, remarking that scarce ten such articles were ever crafted by the Fang masters. Its rarity superseded even a Leonardo da Vinci painting, the expert stated unequivocally to French media outlets.
The auctioneers had originally estimated the worth of the mask to be €300,000. To everyone’s surprise, however, an anonymous bidder acquired it for an astonishing €4.2 million. Responding to this shocking revelation, the elderly couple acted promptly, initiating a civil lawsuit to retract the sale.
Following these proceedings, the government of Gabon, objecting to the sale, argued that the mask had been unlawfully obtained in the first place. The government also requested an adjournment in the court’s judgment pending resolution on its objection.
This dispute arose following a 2020 vote by the French parliament, authorizing the return of treasured artifacts to Senegal and Benin, both of which were looted during the colonial era. Appallingly, an estimated 90,000 African artifacts remain in France, primarily originating from sub-Saharan Africa.
