{"id":54440,"date":"2023-12-22T19:19:37","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T19:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case"},"modified":"2023-12-22T19:31:51","modified_gmt":"2023-12-22T19:31:51","slug":"french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case","title":{"rendered":"French dealer sued for buying African mask from couple at $158, selling it for $4.4m wins case"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. <\/strong><\/span>A second-hand dealer has won a case to retain \u20ac4.2m ($4.6m) from selling a rare African mask found in an elderly French couple\u2019s attic. His assistance was sought by the couple who asked him to clear the attic. The couple sold the mask to him for \u20ac150 (\u00a3129; $165).<\/p>\n

The couple claimed they were misled about its value and sued after selling it to the dealer for \u20ac150, as reported by the BBC. But, the judge ruled that the couple had underestimated the true value of the Ngil mask.<\/p>\n

The artifact is a rare piece crafted by the Fang people of Gabon, with only around 10 known in existence. This artifact, worn by members of the Ngil secret society, was historically used to identify and confront troublemakers, including suspected sorcerers in villages.<\/p>\n

The 19th-century wooden mask, acquired around 1917 by Rene\u0301-Victor Edward Maurice Fournier, a French colonial governor, and the plaintiff\u2019s grandfather, was in the family\u2019s possession until sold to a dealer. The mask was later auctioned to an unknown buyer, which prompted the couple to seek a share of the proceeds, alleging the dealer misled them about its true value.<\/p>\n

The dealer denied knowledge of the mask\u2019s true value and asserted that he showed goodwill by offering the couple \u20ac300,000, the initial valuation. His lawyer contended that the couple neglected the primary responsibility to research the item\u2019s actual worth before the sale.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019ve got such an item at home, you should be a bit more curious before giving it up,\u201d Patricia Pijot told French media. The judge ruled in favor of the dealer, citing the couple\u2019s failure to conduct due diligence on the \u201chistorical and artistic\u201d value of the mask.<\/p>\n

The initial offer of \u20ac300,000 was retracted after the couple initiated legal action. Fre\u0301de\u0301ric Mansat Jaffre\u0301, lawyer for the couple, said: \u201cThe judge has created a precedent… You or I will now need to ask a professional before going to see another professional.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabon\u2019s request to halt the mask\u2019s sale, claiming rightful ownership, was also denied by the court. The West African country was a French colony at the time Fournier acquired the mask. Many African art pieces, including tens of thousands from the continent, are held abroad due to colonial-era removals.<\/p>\n

French President Emmanuel Macron recently advocated for the restitution of African art. \u201cI cannot accept that a large part of the cultural heritage of several African countries is in France,\u201d he said in 2017.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zambia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. A second-hand dealer has won a case to retain \u20ac4.2m ($4.6m) from selling a rare African mask found in an elderly French couple\u2019s attic. His assistance was sought by the couple who asked him to clear the attic. The couple sold the mask to him for \u20ac150 (\u00a3129; $165). The couple claimed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":54439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[234,235,233],"class_list":["post-54440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-zambia","tag-zambia"],"yoast_head":"\nFrench dealer sued for buying African mask from couple at $158, selling it for $4.4m wins case - Zambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A second-hand dealer has won a case to retain \u20ac4.2m ($4.6m) from selling a rare African mask found in an elderly French ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"French dealer sued for buying African mask from couple at $158, selling it for $4.4m wins case\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A second-hand dealer has won a case to retain \u20ac4.2m ($4.6m) from selling a rare African mask found in an elderly French ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-22T19:19:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-22T19:31:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2023\/12\/sm_1703260763.98877.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"French dealer sued for buying African mask from couple at $158, selling it for $4.4m wins case\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-22T19:19:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-22T19:31:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case\"},\"wordCount\":439,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2023\/12\/sm_1703260763.98877.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Zambia\",\"Zambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"culture and art\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/french-dealer-sued-for-buying-african-mask-from-couple-at-158-selling-it-for-4-4m-wins-case\",\"name\":\"French dealer sued for buying African mask from couple at $158, selling it for $4.4m wins case - 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