Our R Lalique Worldwide Auction listings have set a new record this morning, with 64 different upcoming auctions currently listed containing hundreds and hundreds of great R Lalique items coming up for sale all over the globe. The 64 listings span the entire range of the works of the great Rene Lalique, from the opalescent Poissons Bowl coming up on December 4th (along with several items) in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France, to the incredible ‘Bouquet de Fleurs’ R Lalique Wood and Glass (and other elements too) Panel for the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits coming up for sale at Christies in New York City on December 16th. These auctions are taking place in Canada, Germany, Belgium, the US, France, Italy, the UK; too many places to list, all over the world. And we’ve just put up our first R Lalique Worldwide Auction Listing for 2009, a pair of R Lalique Faucon Car Mascots that have appeared in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin in the US (go find that one on a map :)! 
We hope the day will come when we’re able to report 100 R Lalique Worldwide Auction listings to you. But passing the 60 mark for the first time is a great milestone, and it reflects the huge amount of information that we have available flowing in here at World Headquarters which we can report to you. Please don’t forget when you contact the auction houses that are offering this wonderful R Lalique material, to let them know that you saw the R Lalique item here, at RLalique.com. It makes our job of getting information on upcoming items a whole lot easier when the auction houses know that their listings here are creating interest among potential bidders. Happy hunting!
Archive for November, 2008
RLalique.com Worldwide R Lalique Auction Listings Set New Record
November 28th, 2008
A U.S. Antiques Roadshow 2008 R Lalique Video
November 24th, 2008
Here is a link to a video where Nicholas Dawes Appraises an R Lalique Perfume Bottle in Los Angeles for the 2008 U.S. Antiques Roadshow. In addition to being a longtime Antiques Roadshow appraiser, Nick is currently in charge of organizing and conducting live auctions for Mastro Auctions, which has a great group of R Lalique items coming up for sale in Chicago on December 13th. See our R Lalique at Auction Section where you’ll find a link to more information about the upcoming Mastro auction at the top of the page. We’ll post more information about this upcoming sale as it becomes available in the near future. Meanwhile, a VERY happy R Lalique owner in the video!
And you can save yourself a long wait in a roadshow line by checking out the Rene Lalique Appraisals page here at RLlaique.com
Here is a link to a video where Nicholas Dawes Appraises an R Lalique Perfume Bottle in Los Angeles for the 2008 U.S. Antiques Roadshow. In addition to being a longtime Antiques Roadshow appraiser, Nick is currently in charge of organizing and conducting live auctions for Mastro Auctions, which has a great group of R Lalique items coming up for sale in Chicago on December 13th. See our R Lalique at Auction Section where you’ll find a link to more information about the upcoming Mastro auction at the top of the page. We’ll post more information about this upcoming sale as it becomes available in the near future. Meanwhile, a VERY happy R Lalique owner in the video!
And you can save yourself a long wait in a roadshow line by checking out the Rene Lalique Appraisals page here at RLlaique.com
RLalique.com Ebay Item – Chien R Lalique Dog Seal/Cachet circa 1926
November 22nd, 2008
Our 3rd R Lalique listing has appeared on Ebay. It’s a good R Lalique Chien Dog Seal/Cachet, circa 1926. The seal has a starting price well below half of recent sales prices, and no reserve. Our Ebay User I.D, is RLaliqueSales. We’ve posted the listing in the RLalique at Auction Section, and the Ebay Item Number is 320319695198. Also, here is a link to the Really Big Photo Page, with has a giant photo of the Chien Seal. You can also check out our RLalique.com Ebay About Me Page (well, About US really)! And yes, this post represents “Shameless Self Promotion” of an item owned by us or consigned to us for sale!
Our 3rd R Lalique listing has appeared on Ebay. It’s a good R Lalique Chien Dog Seal/Cachet, circa 1926. The seal has a starting price well below half of recent sales prices, and no reserve. Our Ebay User I.D, is RLaliqueSales. We’ve posted the listing in the RLalique at Auction Section, and the Ebay Item Number is 320319695198. Also, here is a link to the Really Big Photo Page, with has a giant photo of the Chien Seal. You can also check out our RLalique.com Ebay About Me Page (well, About US really)! And yes, this post represents “Shameless Self Promotion” of an item owned by us or consigned to us for sale!
Lalique Vase Hirondelles: A Vase You Don’t See Too Often On Ebay
November 19th, 2008
A great looking Rene Lalique Vase Hirondelles appeared on Ebay today. This elegant early vase has sold well in the past, making $24,000 including the premium at Christies New York in February of 2006, and 9 months later at Rago Arts and Auction Center in NJ making $13,200, again with the premium included. Of course, in red glass it has gone for a bit more :). Nice to see these kinds of great old Rene Lalique vases pop up from time to time. Lalique Hirondelles Vase – Ebay Item Number 220314781690.
A great looking Rene Lalique Vase Hirondelles appeared on Ebay today. This elegant early vase has sold well in the past, making $24,000 including the premium at Christies New York in February of 2006, and 9 months later at Rago Arts and Auction Center in NJ making $13,200, again with the premium included. Of course, in red glass it has gone for a bit more :). Nice to see these kinds of great old Rene Lalique vases pop up from time to time. Lalique Hirondelles Vase – Ebay Item Number 220314781690.
A Great R Lalique Story AND The Tale of Lucky Carl
November 17th, 2008
Check out this BBC Report about the R Lalique Cire Perdue Vase that sold last week at Christies South Kensington. It was purchased for £1 at a “car boot” sale and brought to the Antiques Roadshow for appraisal and then to Christies to sell. Don’t you love stories like this?
£32,449 profit for car boot sale vase by Rene Lalique
BUT, closer to the ancestral home of RLalique.com, consider the story of a Tucson Arizona man named Carl Rice. Carl frequented weekend garage and estate sales in the Tucson area. His biggest profit ever on the re-sale of one of his weekend finds, was the $55 he had made selling a $25 purchase for $80! On June 16th 1996, as was his habit, Carl perused the estate sales listings in his local paper, and then he headed off to an estate sale at the home of the recently deceased 94 year old Martha Nelson, where the representatives of her estate were clearing out her possessions. There in the Nelson home, Carl bought a pair of paintings off the wall for the asking price of $88. He then re-sold the pair at Christies New York in December of 1996 for over One Million Dollars! That’s right, over $1,000,000! 
A local Tucson gallery owner saw the Christies catalog noting the Nelson estate provenance, and mentioned it to the representatives for the dead lady’s estate. They of course mentioned the good fortune of Lucky Carl to their lawyers, and Lucky Carl quickly found out that just as night follows day, lawsuits follow lawyers. They sued Lucky Carl in January 1998, claiming that it was somehow his responsibility to let them know they had underpriced the paintings by $1,071,912! This ridiculous lawsuit dragged on for nearly three years until December 2000 before being tossed out by the Arizona Court of Appeals. Somehow we have the feeling that Lucky Carl, while a little less lucky, is a whole lot smarter for the experience.
One final note about the case of Lucky Carl. The gallery owner that saw the provenance in the Christies catalogue and ratted out Lucky Carl, was quoted in the Tucson Daily Star newspaper as follows: “If you are going through an estate sale, YOU have a responsibility to say you are aware this is such a valuable painting.” Sure, that’s why people go to boot sales, garage sales, estate sales and the like. So that they can appraise and authenticate items for the sellers, and help the sellers identify hidden treasures. And here we thought all the people in Tucson lived on the same planet as the rest of us. We stand corrected.
And the moral of the story: It can never hurt to consult with an expert before selling. If you need an appraisal on your R Lalique items, check out the Rene Lalique Appraisal page here at RLalique.com.
Check out this BBC Report about the R Lalique Cire Perdue Vase that sold last week at Christies South Kensington. It was purchased for £1 at a “car boot” sale and brought to the Antiques Roadshow for appraisal and then to Christies to sell. Don’t you love stories like this?
£32,449 profit for car boot sale vase by Rene Lalique
BUT, closer to the ancestral home of RLalique.com, consider the story of a Tucson Arizona man named Carl Rice. Carl frequented weekend garage and estate sales in the Tucson area. His biggest profit ever on the re-sale of one of his weekend finds, was the $55 he had made selling a $25 purchase for $80! On June 16th 1996, as was his habit, Carl perused the estate sales listings in his local paper, and then he headed off to an estate sale at the home of the recently deceased 94 year old Martha Nelson, where the representatives of her estate were clearing out her possessions. There in the Nelson home, Carl bought a pair of paintings off the wall for the asking price of $88. He then re-sold the pair at Christies New York in December of 1996 for over One Million Dollars! That’s right, over $1,000,000! A local Tucson gallery owner saw the Christies catalog noting the Nelson estate provenance, and mentioned it to the representatives for the dead lady’s estate. They of course mentioned the good fortune of Lucky Carl to their lawyers, and Lucky Carl quickly found out that just as night follows day, lawsuits follow lawyers. They sued Lucky Carl in January 1998, claiming that it was somehow his responsibility to let them know they had underpriced the paintings by $1,071,912! This ridiculous lawsuit dragged on for nearly three years until December 2000 before being tossed out by the Arizona Court of Appeals. Somehow we have the feeling that Lucky Carl, while a little less lucky, is a whole lot smarter for the experience.
One final note about the case of Lucky Carl. The gallery owner that saw the provenance in the Christies catalogue and ratted out Lucky Carl, was quoted in the Tucson Daily Star newspaper as follows: “If you are going through an estate sale, YOU have a responsibility to say you are aware this is such a valuable painting.” Sure, that’s why people go to boot sales, garage sales, estate sales and the like. So that they can appraise and authenticate items for the sellers, and help the sellers identify hidden treasures. And here we thought all the people in Tucson lived on the same planet as the rest of us. We stand corrected.
And the moral of the story: It can never hurt to consult with an expert before selling. If you need an appraisal on your R Lalique items, check out the Rene Lalique Appraisal page here at RLalique.com.
The Godfather Box Appears
November 15th, 2008
For those Marlon Brando fans out there, the appearance of the seldom seen R. Lalique Du Barry box coming up at auction on November 19th, and which is referred to in certain esoteric circles as “The Godfather Box”, brings back fond memories of what was perhaps Brando’s greatest modern movie role. The box appeared in the original Godfather Movie released in 1972 (was it that long ago – 48 years as of 2020?) in a bit of a cameo appearance. A Du Barry is coming up for sale at Kodner Galleries in Florida. Most times you see this box with the cover missing (go figure!), but this one is apparently complete. Next time you see the original movie, watch for it! And when you contact Kodner Galleries, don’t forget to tell them you saw this great R Lalique box here, at RLalique.com. And for all the information we have about the Du Barry Box including many sale examples plus a link to the movie clip showing the box with Brando, see the Du Barry Box Model Page in the Rene Lalique Catalogue.
Original Date: 11-2008.
Updated: 11-2020.
For those Marlon Brando fans out there, the appearance of the seldom seen R. Lalique Du Barry box coming up at auction on November 19th, and which is referred to in certain esoteric circles as “The Godfather Box”, brings back fond memories of what was perhaps Brando’s greatest modern movie role. The box appeared in the original Godfather Movie released in 1972 (was it that long ago – 48 years as of 2020?) in a bit of a cameo appearance. A Du Barry is coming up for sale at Kodner Galleries in Florida. Most times you see this box with the cover missing (go figure!), but this one is apparently complete. Next time you see the original movie, watch for it! And when you contact Kodner Galleries, don’t forget to tell them you saw this great R Lalique box here, at RLalique.com. And for all the information we have about the Du Barry Box including many sale examples plus a link to the movie clip showing the box with Brando, see the Du Barry Box Model Page in the Rene Lalique Catalogue.
Original Date: 11-2008.
Updated: 11-2020.
R Lalique 1912 Trois Guepes Perfume Appears on Ebay
November 14th, 2008
Significant restoration and a 1 feedback seller, but rare has hen’s teeth, and hard to find in any condition. The R Lalique Perfume People (sorry about the alliteration, couldn’t resist, but at least we didn’t single out the Particularly Passionate ones) and R Lalique collectors of all stripes might find it worth checking into. Something tells us that this may not be the first ride at the rodeo for this bottle, but no way to know without some investigation. And either way, a cool and hard to get, early R Lalique design. The Ebay Item Number is 120333834682.
Significant restoration and a 1 feedback seller, but rare has hen’s teeth, and hard to find in any condition. The R Lalique Perfume People (sorry about the alliteration, couldn’t resist, but at least we didn’t single out the Particularly Passionate ones) and R Lalique collectors of all stripes might find it worth checking into. Something tells us that this may not be the first ride at the rodeo for this bottle, but no way to know without some investigation. And either way, a cool and hard to get, early R Lalique design. The Ebay Item Number is 120333834682.
Lalique Sales are Strong as Christies South Ken Posts Solid Results – High Selling Cire Perdue Video Appraisal Included
November 12th, 2008
Christies South Kensington’s Semi-Annual Sale of the works of the great Rene Lalique, posted a very respectable sale total of £318,450 including buyer’s premium. The sale had a catalogued 126 lots, but a couple were withdrawn and not offered. A total of 90 lots sold, for a respectable take up rate of 71%, which would be bit higher if the withdrawals were removed from consideration. High seller was of course the fresh to market R Lalique 1929 Cire Perdue Vase Feuilles Fougeres, CP551, which appears in the R Lalique Catalogue Raisonne only with information that it exists, and without even a drawing, let alone a picture. A photo of this vase has graced our home page for the better part of the past month. Measuring around 4.75 inches high (slightly smaller than a Rampillon Vase), this unique vase had a high relief design, and was in nearly original condition. The buyer was a London dealer in the room, thought by some observers to be acting on behalf of another dealer that wished to remain anonymous (intrigue). Big question – Who will step up to tell Christie’s “I saw it at RLalique.com”? These concerns aside, it sold for £32,450 including the buyer’s premium, against an estimate of £20,000 to £30,000.
Here is the video from the British Antiques Roadshow when they appraised the newly found Cire Perdue for the consignor:
For more info on the unique cire perdue creations of Rene Lalique, visit the Lalique Cire Perdue section of the Rene Lalique Bio.
Colored vases dominated the rest of the high selling list, comprising 5 of the 7 other lots to break £10,000. These included R Lalique Red Poissons, Blue Perruches, Blue Tuileries, Blue Milan, and an Green Languedoc Vases, in addition to an R Lalique Opal Bacchantes and a Boule De Gui Chandelier. A successful and solid sale with much bidding activity in the room from dealers and collectors, and phone bidders active on a very high percentage of lots.
Christies South Kensington’s Semi-Annual Sale of the works of the great Rene Lalique, posted a very respectable sale total of £318,450 including buyer’s premium. The sale had a catalogued 126 lots, but a couple were withdrawn and not offered. A total of 90 lots sold, for a respectable take up rate of 71%, which would be bit higher if the withdrawals were removed from consideration. High seller was of course the fresh to market R Lalique 1929 Cire Perdue Vase Feuilles Fougeres, CP551, which appears in the R Lalique Catalogue Raisonne only with information that it exists, and without even a drawing, let alone a picture. A photo of this vase has graced our home page for the better part of the past month. Measuring around 4.75 inches high (slightly smaller than a Rampillon Vase), this unique vase had a high relief design, and was in nearly original condition. The buyer was a London dealer in the room, thought by some observers to be acting on behalf of another dealer that wished to remain anonymous (intrigue). Big question – Who will step up to tell Christie’s “I saw it at RLalique.com”? These concerns aside, it sold for £32,450 including the buyer’s premium, against an estimate of £20,000 to £30,000.
Here is the video from the British Antiques Roadshow when they appraised the newly found Cire Perdue for the consignor:
For more info on the unique cire perdue creations of Rene Lalique, visit the Lalique Cire Perdue section of the Rene Lalique Bio.
Colored vases dominated the rest of the high selling list, comprising 5 of the 7 other lots to break £10,000. These included R Lalique Red Poissons, Blue Perruches, Blue Tuileries, Blue Milan, and an Green Languedoc Vases, in addition to an R Lalique Opal Bacchantes and a Boule De Gui Chandelier. A successful and solid sale with much bidding activity in the room from dealers and collectors, and phone bidders active on a very high percentage of lots.
Lalique Friend Georges Clairin Watercolor Sells Well At Sothebys
November 12th, 2008
The Georges Clairin Watercolor, approximately 12″ by 9″, inscribed with the artist’s name and the dedication “a mon ami Lalique” (to my friend Lalique), and discussed in a previous post in this R Lalique Blog, sold at Sotheby’s London today, November 12th, for £11,000 plus 25% buyer’s premium of £2750 for a total price of £13,750, or roughly $21,000 at today’s exchange rates, all against an estimate of £6,000 to £8,000. A strong result for a great looking art nouveau watercolor with an extremely close tie to the great Rene Lalique. Hopefully, the buyer let ’em know that they saw it here, at RLalique.com!
Check out the Rene Lalique Biography for more information about the great Rene Lalique.
The Georges Clairin Watercolor, approximately 12″ by 9″, inscribed with the artist’s name and the dedication “a mon ami Lalique” (to my friend Lalique), and discussed in a previous post in this R Lalique Blog, sold at Sotheby’s London today, November 12th, for £11,000 plus 25% buyer’s premium of £2750 for a total price of £13,750, or roughly $21,000 at today’s exchange rates, all against an estimate of £6,000 to £8,000. A strong result for a great looking art nouveau watercolor with an extremely close tie to the great Rene Lalique. Hopefully, the buyer let ’em know that they saw it here, at RLalique.com!
Check out the Rene Lalique Biography for more information about the great Rene Lalique.
Lalique Auctions: Bonhams London Posts Good Rene Lalique Auction Results
November 12th, 2008
Bonhams New Bond Street in London featured 51 lots of R Lalique as the lead items up for auction in their Design 1860-1945 Sale today, November 12th. A respectable mixed offering of mainly middle market models, 40 of the lots sold for a take up rate of near 80%. While our favorite lot here at RLalique.com was a wonderful R Lalique Deux Figurines Silvered 1913 Hand Mirror selling in the original fitted case and which made £2160 including premium, there are a couple of high sellers in the range of over ten times that result. A decent looking opalescent R Lalique Bacchantes Vase on original stand made £26,400 including premium, but was nosed out as the top lot by a very attractive birds eye maple R Lalique 1914 Figurines coffret, featuring 5 glass panels and being around a foot long, which made £27,600 including the premium. If we figured it right, the total was £116,832 for all the R Lalique including the premium.
See the Lalique Bio section on Lalique Auctions for more information about Lalique auction sales worldwide!
Bonhams New Bond Street in London featured 51 lots of R Lalique as the lead items up for auction in their Design 1860-1945 Sale today, November 12th. A respectable mixed offering of mainly middle market models, 40 of the lots sold for a take up rate of near 80%. While our favorite lot here at RLalique.com was a wonderful R Lalique Deux Figurines Silvered 1913 Hand Mirror selling in the original fitted case and which made £2160 including premium, there are a couple of high sellers in the range of over ten times that result. A decent looking opalescent R Lalique Bacchantes Vase on original stand made £26,400 including premium, but was nosed out as the top lot by a very attractive birds eye maple R Lalique 1914 Figurines coffret, featuring 5 glass panels and being around a foot long, which made £27,600 including the premium. If we figured it right, the total was £116,832 for all the R Lalique including the premium.
See the Lalique Bio section on Lalique Auctions for more information about Lalique auction sales worldwide!
Rene Lalique Decanters: Lalique Decanter Masques on Ebay
November 5th, 2008
Another great Ebay lot – an RLalique Masques Decanter. Ebay item 360102807585 – Sans stopper, but cheap as chips at 162 AUS as we write this….. Maybe a great chance to pick up a Rene Lalique Decanter with a classic and popular design at a reasonable price. This is one of the popular Lalique Decanters!
For a complete list of auction related resources at RLalique.com, check out Lalique Auctions in the R Lalique Bio.
Another great Ebay lot – an RLalique Masques Decanter. Ebay item 360102807585 – Sans stopper, but cheap as chips at 162 AUS as we write this….. Maybe a great chance to pick up a Rene Lalique Decanter with a classic and popular design at a reasonable price. This is one of the popular Lalique Decanters!
For a complete list of auction related resources at RLalique.com, check out Lalique Auctions in the R Lalique Bio.
