An elderly French couple are suing an antiques dealer, claiming they were duped into selling a “worthless” African mask for $157, only to learn months later it was sold at auction for $4.4 million.
The unidentified husband, 88, and wife, 81, discovered the face covering while cleaning out their house. They took it to a local dealer who agreed to buy it for $157, or €150 euros, according to the French paper Le Monde.
Months later, the couple said they read in a newspaper that the mask was really a rare ceremonial mask from Gabon, which sold at auction for $4.4 million.
The lawsuit, which is moving through the French court system, has raised legal questions about whether someone who sells art or an artifact is eligible for compensation if the work is later determined to be significantly more valuable.
The couple alleges they were duped. The antique dealer has claimed he was not an expert in African art and only learned of the mask’s value through the auction house.
This summer, a judge ruled the lawsuit may proceed because it “appears to be well-founded in principle,” according to French reports. The judge has frozen the sale’s proceeds until the case is resolved.
