Rare Fang Ngil mask to auction in Montpellier

A rare Fang mask from the Ngil secret society, known as the "Gouverneur Fournier" mask, will be auctioned at Hotel des Ventes in Montpellier on March 26, 2022, with an estimate of €300,000–400,000. Acquired in Gabon by Governor Maurice Fournier in 1917–18, it is one of only about ten known Ngil masks, half of which are in museums. Carbon-14 dating places its creation at the end of the 19th century. The Ngil society's judicial rituals were suppressed in 1920, halting mask production. A comparable mask from the "Collection Vérité" sold for €5.75 million at Hotel Drouot in June 2006. The mask's elegant elongated form, minute features, and provenance from Fournier make it iconic. Ethnologist Louis Perrois praised its authenticity and exceptional quality. The Quai Branly Museum in Paris held a major Fang exhibition in 2017 featuring four Ngil masks. The auction occurs amid debates on restitution of African artifacts to former colonies, with pressure on institutions like the British Museum to return the Parthenon Marbles.