African mask valued at £300 sells for £107k

Feb 24, 2025

A 20th-century African mask sold for £107,100, more than 300 times its guide price.

The Kwele mask from Gabon was given an estimate of between £300 to £500 by Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury, Wiltshire, but there was "competitive" bidding from all over the world.

The object - just 29.5cm high - was from the private collection of an interior designer.

Several items at the sale on Wednesday exceeded expectations including a necklace from North East India which sold for £8,820 against an estimate of £1,500-£2,000.

The African mask belonged to the late interior designer Eldred Trewvella "Bill" Bennette.

Woolley & Wallis specialist Will Hobbs said: "We had bids from the UK, Belgium, France and USA, phone bids from UK and Paris, but it eventually won out to a French buyer."

One of the other successful pieces was a 19th or 20th-century Thai stone Buddha head that sold for £2,772, well above its guide price of £100 to £200.

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