In 2021, an anonymous couple from Nîmes, France, were emptying up their property and chose to sell the unusual mask to a local trader.
They sold it for $158 to a dealer known as ‘Mr. Z’ in September of that year, and he went on to make millions off it.
Mr. Z later sold the piece of art, a traditional Fang mask from Gabon used in weddings, funerals, and other rites, at an auction in Montpellier for a whopping $4.4 million.
The French couple (aged 81 and 88) had no idea how valuable the item was and only learned of Mr. Z’s successful sale when it was reported in the media.
The Fang mask was brought to France by the husband’s grandpa, who was a colonial ruler in Africa, according to ARTnews.
They have now filed a lawsuit against Mr. Z, whom they feel defrauded them.
The lawsuit has been underway for some time, and on June 28, the court of appeals in Nîmes determined that their complaint “appears to be well-founded in principle” and has subsequently frozen the proceeds of the sale while the case is still ongoing, according to Artnet News.
The couple is upset because Mr. Z understood the actual worth of the face mask before purchasing it from them for 0.00359090909 percent of the sum it was ultimately sold for.
The costly mask is estimated to be from the nineteenth century and was originally valued between €300,000 ($317,416) and €400,000 ($423,222) when Mr. Z sought professional assistance.
According to court records obtained by Artnet News, “this piece of kaolin-coated cheese wood is thus exceptional in terms of rarity, as only a dozen or so other reference specimens are known to exist worldwide, in Western museums and collections.”
According to reports, the dealer offered the French couple €300,000 in compensation in response to their complaint, but they declined.
Mr. Z, according to their lawyer, is a “second-hand dealer, not an antique dealer, and cannot be considered a valuation professional.”
“He has no knowledge of African art,” they went on to say.
As things stand, their case is still open and will stay so until a decision is reached.
According to sources, it is presently being evaluated by a higher court in Nîmes.