An elderly French couple who unwittingly sold a rare African mask worth $4.6 million for a mere $165 has lost a court battle to annul the auction sale of the mask. The couple sold the mask to a dealer they’d hired to help them clean out their attic.
According to the BBC, the second-hand art dealer later sold the Ngil mask — which was made by the Fang people of Gabon in Central Africa — at an auction for €4.2 million, or about $4.6 million.
The couple reportedly sold the mask to the dealer for €150, which is about $165. Only about 10 of the Gabonese masks are believed to exist.
The French couple filed a lawsuit and claimed that the dealer failed “to provide pre-contractual information” and committed “a breach of consent,” per CNN. However, a court in Alès, France, ruled against the couple on Dec. 19.
The court ruled that the couple failed to appreciate the mask by keeping it in their attic. Noting that the couple had not hired any art experts to learn “the true historic and artistic value” of the Ngil mask before they agreed to sell it to the art dealer for the agreed-upon price. The court also noted that the art dealer had no expert knowledge of African art or prior knowledge of the mask’s “singular value.”
The elderly couple, identified as Mr. and Mrs. Fournier, was also chastised by the court for “their carelessness and casualness.”
Mr. Fournier inherited the Gabonese mask from his grandfather, René-Victor Edward Maurice Fournier, who served as a colonial governor in Central Africa in the early 20th century.
The art dealer denied knowing that it was so valuable when the mask was purchased and said he offered the couple €300,000 when he learned its value to demonstrate goodwill. The offer was rescinded after the couple filed a lawsuit against him.
Patricia Pijot is an attorney for the art dealer and told the press, “When you’ve got such an item at home, you should be a bit more curious before giving it up.”
Frédéric Mansat Jaffré, the Fourniers’ attorney, condemned the court’s ruling.
“The judge has created a precedent,” said Jaffré. “You or I will now need to ask a professional before then going to see another professional.”
Meanwhile, the Gabonese tried to halt the auction of the mask claiming that it rightfully belonged to Gabon. However, the court also rejected the country’s argument and ruled in favor of the art dealer. The Gabonese government has filed a separate lawsuit claiming that René-Victor Edward Maurice Fournier stole the mask and therefore was not the mask’s rightful owner.
The government is represented by Olivia Betoe Bi Evie, who said the mask belonged to the secret Ngil society group that administered justice within the Fang communities of Gabon.
“For Westerners, the mask is an art object,” said Betoe Bi Evie. “But for Africans, for the Gabonese… it’s a ritual object used to ensure peace in society. It’s very important.”
The Fourniers were ordered to pay all court costs related to the case.
