Paul Black’s story about how he acquired a piece he recently brought to DuMouchelles for an appraisal was more unusual than most. “As a college student in the mid-1970s, I was in Senegal and Dakar and traded an old pair of jeans, a shirt and $5 for it,” he explained to Bob DuMouchelle and others gathered for a Trash or Treasure appraisal event. “Back then, Levis didn’t exist anywhere in the world, so it was a big deal.”
The object, a large wooden mask measuring 2 ½ feet tall, is a good example of the quality of African art at the time, DuMouchelle said. Unfortunately, it is not an older example of African tribal art, he explained.
“This is a more modern piece, probably around the time you bought it,” appraiser Black said at the event. “This type of work was very popular and was made for export and tourism.”
That was the bad news. The good news is that the piece is high quality, “definitely a tropical wood,” and that the materials used to make it are “very solid,” DuMouchelle said. “A lot of these pieces of art were made from old wood that was very heavy and dense,” he added.
The condition is also very good and the piece is beautifully crafted, DuMouchelle added. “It was well made and the wood is not split, which is often a problem due to humidity, moisture and other factors,” he explained to Black. At auction, it would bring $75 to $125, but at retail it could fetch $800 to $850.
“Today, you couldn’t buy the wood to carve it for that much money,” DuMouchelle Black said of the piece’s auction value, which is equivalent to a wholesale price. “I appreciate the time, attention and skill that went into making it,” he added.
Black agrees and wants to keep the piece despite its relatively low value. “It means more to me than the money,” he explains.
Contact Khristi Zimmeth at [email protected].
About this article
Article: African mask
Owned by: Paul Black
Reviewed by: Bob DuMouchelle
Estimated value: $75 and more
