French couple sue art dealer who sold their £129 African mask for £3.6m

An elderly couple are suing an art dealer in France after an African mask they sold him for £129 was later auctioned off for (€4.2million) £3.6million.

The retired pair, who have not been identified and live in Eure-et-Loire, south-west of Paris, told officials they sold the wooden mask during a clear out of their holiday home near the southern town of Alès in 2021.

Six months after the sale they read a newspaper article that said the item was a rare 19th century “Fang” mask from Gabon, used in rituals such as weddings and funerals.

Just 10 of the masks are thought to have been made.

The article said the mask had been sold on at an auction in Montpellier for £3.6million by the dealer, who has also not been identified and referred to only as Mr Z.

A hearing was held in the city of Alès, where the couple argued they should receive a portion of the profits.

The Gabonese authorities requested a stay of proceedings, amid calls for a criminal investigation.

Authorities argue the mask was stolen and should be returned to Africa.

Experts have said there are fewer than a dozen such masks held in museums around the world.

Patricia Pijot, a lawyer for the dealer, has rejected the demands of the Gabonese.

“A voluntary intervention is a legal tool. We can claim this mask for laudable conditions which are part of a cultural context, but that is not the subject today”, she said.

Reports said the couple’s holiday home had once belonged to René-Victor Fournier, an early 20th century colonial administrator.