Wooden Masks Sold Cheaply to Secondhand Dealers
Turns Out to Be 'Eungil Masks' of Gabong Pang Tribe
An elderly couple in France sold a wooden mask to a secondhand dealer at a low price, but it was auctioned off for 6 billion won, leading to a lawsuit with the dealer, which they ultimately lost.
According to the French daily Le Figaro on the 19th (local time), the couple Alain (88) and Colette (81) discovered an old wooden mask covered in dust while cleaning the attic of their villa in September 2021. The item had been brought by Alain's grandfather, who was a governor in colonial Africa in the early 20th century.
Alain considered the mask a useless talisman inherited from his grandfather and sold it to a secondhand dealer named Alexandre for 150 euros (about 210,000 won).
Six months later, the couple was shocked while reading the newspaper. They learned that the mask they had sold was auctioned off for 4.2 million euros (about 6 billion won).
It turned out that the mask was a 'Ngil Mask' made by the Fang people of Gabon, Africa. This mask is a 20th-century African tribal mask that inspired masters such as Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani, and it is known that only about 10 remain worldwide.
The mask, initially expected to be auctioned for 300,000 euros (about 420 million won), saw its price increase more than tenfold after the auction venue changed once. The elderly couple claimed that the secondhand dealer knew the mask's value but deceived them by buying it at a low price and demanded a portion of the auction proceeds back. The dealer denied knowing the mask's value but offered to pay the initial auction price of 300,000 euros.
The couple did not accept this settlement offer and filed a civil lawsuit, but the court ruled in favor of the dealer. The court judged that the dealer did not commit fraud against the couple and that the couple was at fault for not properly understanding the artwork's value. The couple's legal representative said, "(The court) pointed out that free appraisal services were available, and we will naturally appeal."
Meanwhile, during the dispute between the elderly couple and the dealer, Gabon, the 'original owner' of the mask, also filed a lawsuit demanding its return, claiming the mask belonged to their country. At that time, the Gabonese government argued that the mask was originally stolen during the colonial era and should be returned to the home country. However, the court dismissed Gabon's claim.
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