A second-hand art dealer has recently won a French court battle involving a $4.6 million African Ngil mask that was previously gathering dust in an elderly couple's attic.
This photograph taken on March 24, 2022 shows a "Ngil" mask of the Fang people of Gabon which is estimated at 300,000/400,000 euros and which will be auctioned on March 26, 2022 at the Montpellier auction house.
What was the Reason Behind the Ngil Mask Legal Complaint?
According to the French publication Le Monde, the dealer had only paid €150, or $165, for the incredibly rare artifact, which was made by people from the Fang tribe in Gabon.
Following the private deal between the couple and the dealer, it was then sent to an auction house in Montpellier where it consequently sold for over $4.6 million, or €4.2 million, against an initial valuation between €300,000 to €400,000.
The lawsuit first made waves back in October after legal requests made by the couple to freeze the transferral of the profits from the sale were approved. The couple's complaint revolved around suspicions that the dealer had known the true value of the item.
The dealer had rejected this notion, saying that he labored in researching the mask after it was initially looked at by three different auctioneers. He only understood the immense value that the artifact had after he launched the investigation himself, discovering that it was a ceremonial object used by a hidden Ngil society for "purification" purposes, according to the case's records.
Once the sale came through, however, the dealer reportedly made a €300,000 ($329,300) offer to the husband and wife based on "goodwill," which the couple essentially declined after they sued the dealer.
Read Also: Sotheby's Hubert Guerrand-Hermès Auctions Started Strong in Paris, Earning at Least $25 Million
The Conclusion to the African Mask Court Case Saga
The judge presiding over the case eventually ruled in favor of the dealer, stating one reason to be the duo's "inexcusable negligence and frivolity." The dealer's defense lawyer Patricia Pijot echoed this sentiment as she told French media that the couple's fault lies in their failure to conduct or launch their own research before selling the artifact.
"When you've got such an item at home, you should be a bit more curious before giving it up," she added.
According to a report by The Guardian, the state of Gabon had filed a separate request for the cancellation of the sale and repatriation of the artifact but the French court ultimately rejected the request.
Solange Bizeau, a member of the Collectif Gabon Occitanie, expressed that neither player within the context of the case had "legitimate" claims over the possession of the artifact, saying, "What we want is the restitution of this mask to Gabon. This mask has a soul, it was used to establish justice in our villages."
Read More: Top 5 Stories That Made Headlines in the Art and Cultural Scene in 2023, From AI to Picasso
