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Posts Tagged ‘R Lalique and Rene Lalique Fakes-Copies-Frauds’

Normandie Loose-Copy Not R. Lalique Clock At Auction June 24th!

Diogenes Would Be Smiling!

May 8th, 2023

We can’t start without saying that we have never seen a scintilla* of evidence linking René Lalique to the commissioned Normandie Clock or to this later loose-copy of that clock. The clocks are great art deco objects! But evidence free claims do not make them R. Lalique! No such claims are being made for the clock discussed below.

Diogenes Statue in his birthplace Sinop Turkey

The 5th/4th Century BC cynic and philosopher Diogenes spent much of his time pushing back against what he saw as the base and corrupt Greek society in which he lived. He harassed and criticized Plato, dogged the Greek philosopher Antisthenes, and mocked Alexander The Great to his face! Diogenes would walk the streets during the day carrying a lamp, and when asked what he was doing replied “I’m looking for an honest man.” **

We don’t know if he ever found an honest man, but we have! And his name is Romain Merien.

On June 24, 2023 in Orleans France at the Pousse-Cornet – Valoir Auction House, a later loose-copy of the original Normandie Clock is coming up for sale as Lot 115. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a description for this clock at auction that is even close to accurate, but the dry spell will end in Orleans on June 24th!

Here is the lot description in French followed by the Google translator English Version:

Maison ATO
Rare pendulette en verre opalescent moulé à décor en léger relief sur le cadran figurant le paquebot Normandie.
Elle repose sur une base pyramidale simulant des vagues
Marquée a revers ATO – Made in France
H: 15 cm Un micro éclat dans la partie supérieure
Modèle proche de la pendulette offerte lors du voyage inaugural du Normandie en 1935

ATO House
Rare molded opalescent glass clock with light relief decoration on the dial depicting the Normandy liner.
It rests on a pyramidal base simulating waves
Marked on the reverse ATO – Made in France
H: 15cm A micro chip in the upper part
Model close to the clock offered during the maiden voyage of Normandy in 1935

If you’re looking for one of these clocks, we recommend you consider this one. Why not support the honest offerers as opposed to those making baseless, undocumented, ridiculous, and flat out false claims.

For extensive discussion and information on our site about this clock see the Normandie Later Loose-Copy Clock Page.

Normandie Later Loose-Copy Clock Not René Lalique

NOTE: Following is the link to the original Lot 115 Clock listing on drouot.com.

You can contact Romain at +33 02 38 54 00 00 / orleans@poussecornet.com and the web site is Pousse-Cornet.

* Scintilla is a tiny trace.

** There is some debate about the translation typically used in English whether or not it’s just “man” or “honest man”, but the “honest man” version we are using literally creates the theme for our article so of course we went with it! At World Headquarters we call it Literary License!

*** Diogenes Statue Image Credit Michael F. Schönitzer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A Square Deal On Offer At Heritage?

December 29th, 2022

Back on October 22, 2015 Heritage Auctions sold a fake plate as an “R. Lalique Clear and Frosted Square Plate circa 1930. 6 inches long”. The plate is obviously ridiculous and any signature on it for R. Lalique in any way would be a forgery. Bravo, the lucky winning bidder for the total nonsense plate paid only $187.50 all-in according to the Heritage website as shown in the screen shot below. What a bargain.

Assumedly, that lucky winning bidder, apparently trying to turn their supposed luck into actual profits, has the fake plate for sale for $995 on the Heritage website through some kind of private sale or re-offer program that Heritage has for its customers.

If you believe the Heritage description about the expertise of their Lalique “authority” (according to the Heritage Bio: so and so “is considered this country’s leading authority on the work of Rene Lalique”), putting the fake plate into circulation at one of their auctions cannot be some kind of mistake, misunderstanding, or oversight. It’s a joke, and unfortunately the joke is on the current owner assuming they actually paid the $187.50 shown on the Heritage website for the fake plate.

This is not the first time we have highlighted fake items offered as R. Lalique through Heritage in recent years. Wouldn’t it be nice if it were the last time? The “authority” at Heritage sold their reputation for just under $12,000 with the obviously fake Ecailles Vase. A previous post concerning the infamous fake “Unfinished Pink Acanthes Vase” put the value of the authority’s reputation at $500 (but apparently you could have made a lower offer). And now we see this fake plate that drops that value to under $200. How low will this go before it stops?

Below is a screen shot of the square deal on the Heritage website. And here is a direct link so you can see the Fake Square Plate for yourself at Heritage.

R. Lalique Chardons Vase: Stolen Photo Auction Listing

July 13th, 2013

Like all other markets for just about any kind of product or service, the market for the works of Rene Lalique attracts new scammers from time to time. Note that we say “new scammers” to differentiate for purposes of this article any of the handful of notorious usual suspects that might be classified as “old scammers”! 🙂

Ebay is a bit of a magnet for scams, though safe trading on Ebay is as easy as being careful and following their procedures so that you can get made whole if your common sense gets pushed aside from time to time. Heck as we noted in discussing this problem previously, rumor has it one of the notorious usual suspects that you would think might recognize a scam when it appears is rumored to have been taken in by a stolen photo listing on an R. Lalique Red Poissons Vase a while back!

All that said, we thought we’d bring the latest reason to think twice before throwing caution to the wind. Here is a link to a saved/cached image version of the original 221253254631 listing online.*** It’s offered by a recently registered zero feedback user.

And we present two photos, one from the current Ebay ad, and one from a Chardons Vase listed here on RLalique.com. Twin vases, twin lighting, twin glare spots, twin photos! What are the odds?

Rene Lalique Chardons VaseRene Lalique Chardons Vase 2

How do you protect yourself from these types of scams? Here are few of the ways you can lower your risk of a headache, a loss, or both.

Always ask for additional photos; maybe one of the vase next to a soda can for example. Or one with a ruler laid across the top rim of the vase. Basically, any photos not likely to be in the seller’s picture inventory if they don’t have the item in-hand. You should also check RLalique.com’s new R. Lalique Catalogue and see if any of the photos look a little too similar to the ones in the auction you’re considering. Finally, never wire funds or pay by check for an online auction. Use a payment service such as paypal and a credit card to give yourself added protection.

Basically, when you’re ready to get rolling on your next must have online purchase, just keep in mind the iconic words of the late Michael Conrad!

*** You may have to use the zoom function of your browser (or whatever program opens images for you) to get the cached image to expand in the window if it does not appear full size. After clicking on the link to the item, a new window will open with the cached image in it. On a Mac, just click on the image and see if that expands it. If not, press the apple key and click on the cached image in your browser window. On a PC, hold down the alt key while clicking on the cached image.

Rene Lalique Senlis Vases – Rene Lalique Cluny Vases: R. Lalique Collector Alert

December 17th, 2012

The appearance of the heavily damaged, cracked and stapled dark glass R. Lalique Senlis Vase at Skinner’s Auction House in Boston on December 15th provides a good opportunity to bring to your attention the potential for trickery in the sale of Cluny and Senlis Vases, two great R. Lalique models.

Rene Lalique Senlis Vase That Has Been Cracked And StapledBoth the Senlis and Cluny Vase models are based on an undecorated glass body with two bronze mounts. The Senlis bronze has a leaf decor, the Cluny a more intricate masque and serpents motif. The bronze mounts are held in place thru an attachment on the inside of the vase which secures a protrusion emanating from the bronze that goes thru a drilled hole from the outside to the inside of the vase. The location of the hole is behind the masque on the Cluny and behind the largest part of the leaf on the Senlis.

The drilled hole has caused some issues over time as the different expansion rates of the glass and the bronze during temperature changes as well as the contact of the attachment and the glass at the point of the drilled hole has resulted in many examples with spider or more severe cracks. In addition there are vases of both models that have just been damaged over time from any kind of impact from dropping, bumping, hitting a shelf, etc. And there are plenty of other ways to crack a glass vase; even something as simple as leaving it in a spot where it is heated up rapidly by strong sunlight can do the trick in many instances. And in the case of these two models, grabbing it hard enough by one of the mounts could also cause damage.

Rene Lalique Senlis Vase Showing Bronze Mount Detail And Stapled Crack In GlassThe problem that has been created is that the undecorated glass body of the vase can be duplicated! Yes, it is not all that difficult to make a credible copy of the plain glass body, drill holes in it, and attach a set of handles removed from a damaged Cluny or Senlis. Especially with the current pricing in the market of these vases (a Cluny recently made near $200,000 at auction), the cost of creating a new glass body is nothing compared to the value of an undamaged example.

So just checking the math here, an extensively cracked and stapled Senlis Vase sells for $3000 plus commissions. A perfect Senlis Vase is worth for arguments sake $150,000 – $200,000. So you have a bit of room, say roughly $145,000 to $195,000 of room in this example to create a new body! Heck, super models don’t even spend that much to transform their bodies. And note that we do not know the identity of the buyer of the cracked and stapled Skinner’s Senlis Vase. We are just using its appearance to help increase the awareness of our readers. For all we know the buyer may be a collector that was happy to get the stapled version for 98% less than the cost of one that’s in good order. Or someone may have wanted the bronze mounts to use as custom door pulls on a set of doors (not a bad idea). Heck, some Art History PHD candidate doing a thesis on the history of glass repair could have bought it. You get the point.

However, this writer was reliably informed that at least one R. Lalique dealer has in fact commissioned the making of a new glass body to replace a damaged Senlis/Cluny glass body and thus created an undamaged example from a nearly worthless one.

Rene Lalique Cluny Vase That Sold For Almost $200,000So, is there anything wrong with “fixing”, some would say “saving” a damaged vase in this fashion? Of course not, so long as you make mention of it when you sell it!

This brings us back to our often sung refrain: When doing business with a dealer, make certain that the dealer is honest and knowledgeable. Not just honest, and not just knowledgeable, but both honest and knowledgeable.

How can you know? Well, you can ask other collectors that have been collecting for a long time. You can search the internet for information by typing into a search engine the name of the dealer along with other phrases such as lalique, or a city or company name etc. You can ask the dealer for references from collectors that the dealer has a longstanding relationship with. And you can get independent advice concerning your purchases.

Rene Lalique Senlis Vase Showing Stapled Crack In Glass

To summarize, the point about the Cluny and Senlis Vases and the dealers you choose to do business with is simply to be smart and be careful. Arm yourself with the most knowledge you can. And be as wise in spending your money as you are in making it. Amen.

Fake R.Lalique: Identifying The Sources Of Forgeries Or Items Represented As Lalique That Are Not By Rene Lalique

May 15th, 2012

Czech Five Nudes Vase Often Seen With Forged R.Lalique Signature Or Just Sold As The Work Of Rene LaliqueIdentify Fake Lalique is a new sub-section of our information packed Lalique Fakes section here at THE Worldwide Gathering Place for R.Lalique Collectors and Enthusiasts.

Through this new sub-section, we’ve made available three different kinds of information on the sources of items that turn up with forged R.Lalique signatures and items just misrepresented as R.Lalique. We estimate that the items accessible from this new sub-section account for as many as 75% of all such items that appear.

First, we have put relevant old catalogues of Czech glass online, and linked to other sites having such catalogues. These catalogues document the source of a great percentage of later forged pieces. Keep in mind that the pieces shown thru the Identify Sources pages were not created with the intent to fool anyone. It is only the later addition of a fake Rene Lalique signature of some kind, or the false representation that the item is the original work of Rene Lalique that makes the piece a fake as far as R.Lalique collectors are concerned. But many of these items have value and are collectible in their own right, and again, were not produced with the intent to deceive anyone.

Goblet Form Vase Which Is Not An Authentic R.Lalique VaseSecond, we’ve linked to websites that currently sell new pieces that sometimes end up with forged signatures and sold as R.Lalique.

Third, we’ve linked to one general information website (with hopefully more to come) which is helpful in identifying Fake R. Lalique.

We’ve also created an outline on our Authenticating Lalique page, which directs interested owners of possible problem pieces or potential purchasers of any R.Lalique piece, through a four-step process utilizing the resources available here at RLalique.com. The process steps through the resources on Lalique Forgeries, the Modern Lalique Crystal Signatures page, the new Identify Fake R. Lalique sub-section, and finally to the documented R.Lalique Copies that are known to exist.

Czech Underwater Motif Vase Which Is Not An Authentic Rene Lalique Glass ItemWe also placed online and accessible from the navigation bar on every page of the main RLalique.com website (all pages except the Blog) a new section on Lalique Signatures! The signature section is broken down into three sub-sections: Authentic Rene Lalique Signatures, Fake R.Lalique Signatures, and the previously mentioned Lalique Crystal Signatures. Actual signatures from actual pieces are shown on all three of these sub-sections. It’s worth keeping in mind that signatures do not authentic pieces as many signatures are easily faked. However, armed with knowledge you can differentiate between modern Lalique Crystal and authentic Rene Lalique signatures. And of course, some signatures are so far off the reservation that being able to spot those saves a lot of time (and possibly money and headaches) as well. Previously the reference literature had but a handful of mainly line drawn signatures for collectors to examine. Now there are hundreds of real examples taken from real pieces. And for the Rene Lalique Signatures and the Cristal Lalique Signatures sub-sections, if you put your cursor over any photo in those two sub-sections, a text window will appear telling you what piece the signature was found on.

Czech Floral Decorated Vase Which Is Not Authentic Rene LaliqueIn the future, time permitting as always :), we’ll add over 1000 more photos to the Forgeries section of items that have appeared falsely represented as R. Lalique. And we’ll be breaking the Forgeries section down into more categories to make it faster to look just for the type of piece you have instead of having to scroll thru photos that may show items unrelated to the specific type of item you are researching.

As the value of the great authentic R.Lalique glass and other items continues to appreciate, more and more vigilance is needed to become educated and watchful for the increasing number of fakes entering, or attempting to enter the market. Our Suspicious Lalique Auctions page continues to grow with more and more listings on a continuous basis as fakes and questionable pieces come up for auction in greater numbers. The good news is that this problem is minor for R.Lalique when compared to many collecting fields, some of which have been greatly damaged by the intrusion of fakes and forgeries. But only through information, education, and vigilance by the entire collecting community, can the fakes and forgeries be kept at bay**. This is an effort that benefits everyone involved with the works of Rene Lalique.

Opalescent Glass Starfish Coaster Which Is Not Authentic Rene LaliqueIn that regard we are actively soliciting additional sources of information for the new Identify Fakes section; for help in finding and exposing current fakes at auction; in getting information on any other R.Lalique copies that appear; or about ongoing scams as they develop. Also for example, if you have a photo of an R.Lalique signature that we do not show, or of a Cristal Lalique signature we are missing, we would gladly accept help in that area as well. If not for the generous contributions of time and information from many R.Lalique collectors, the information on fakes that we have organized and highlighted here would be just a fraction of its current volume. We have accomplished a lot, but more work remains, and we can use all the help we can get.

Czech Glass Toothpick Holder or Cigarette Holder Which Is Not Authentic Rene LaliqueAnd finally related to this topic, we have a major sub-section where we are assembling photos of known Lalique Crystal Reproductions by the modern Lalique Company of original Rene Lalique designs. This information lets collectors know on which R.Lalique pieces they need to be even more vigilant to ensure they don’t have a modern crystal piece with an altered signature. This sub-section is nearly complete for reproduced vases, but far from complete in other types of items, and we would welcome photos from anyone having pictures of modern crystal reproductions not yet shown on that page.

We are quite hopeful that these latest steps to augment and organize the vast information on Fakes here at RLalique.com will make it easier and faster for potential buyers to get the added information they may need to make better informed decisions about a potential purchase, or for owners to get information about the true nature of a piece they possess.

Oh ya, none of the items pictured in this article are authentic R. Lalique glass.

** “keeping at bay” is an idiomatic expression which means to keep something or someone away from you that might be harmful or unpleasant.

LR – RL Signature: Louis Rault – Art Nouveau Medalist, Designer, Chaser & Rene Lalique Contemporary

April 6th, 2012

RL-LR Signature Of Louis Rault Often Confused For A Rene Lalique MarkOn almost any day of the year, somewhere in the world there is a medal, button, pendant, cufflink, locket, hatpin, or similar object for sale with the mark you see in the first photo here, represented to be the work of Rene Lalique. The hard evidence is the signed “RL” signature. And the soft evidence is the style of the piece, and the likely period of its creation.

But the hard evidence is wrong. The signature is not RL, it’s LR and it’s the mark of Louis Armand Rault, a Frenchman who lived from 1847 to 1903. Rault was a sculpture, a chaser, a jeweler and a medalist. Born the son of a shoemaker in St. Calais in the Pays-de-la-Loire region of northwestern France, by the age of 21 he was working for Boucheron in Paris. The great Henri Vever believed that Rault might have been the most talented chaser of all time! Rault created many unique and attractive objects, a number of which are in major museums.

RL-LR Signature On Female With Crown Medallion Cuff LinkBut his most often seen works are in a handful of designs that were apparently licensed for use by many different manufacturers. So for example, one of his females in profile designs, may appear in a gilt metal stickpin stamped out in France, or on Sheffield Silver buttons made in England, or on a pendant with the addition of gems around the neck of the female. In addition to sometimes being enhanced with various gems and stones, Rault’s medals also appear inside intricate surrounds or incorporated into other objects such as ashtrays.

RL-LR Signature On Pendant With Louis XIVThe objects with these designs all have two things in common. They all sport the LR mark shown here. And they all often appear advertised as the work of Rene Lalique. This is true for direct sales ads, online auctions, and at auction houses.

In the very active Fake Lalique section at THE R. Lalique Worldwide Gathering Place, we receive a steady steam of reports from buyers, sellers, and interested parties about the never ending offers of Rault signed LR works improperly attributed as being signed RL for Rene Lalique.

Keep in mind that a false attribution does not always mean purposeful malice by the seller. With that supposed RL mark, a seller may think it’s truly R.Lalique, or maybe it’s just their best guess or wishful thinking. Or maybe the did some research and found the same design attributed to Rene Lalique by other sellers.

RL-LR Signature On Medallion With Helmeted FemaleWhatever the seller’s motive or knowledge or lack thereof, the only thing that should concern you as a buyer is to be armed with enough information to dodge these kind of bullets. What the seller knows or doesn’t know is of little import.

We decided that the best way to minimize the continued occurrences of these false claims was to create a Louis Rault reference page that can be easily found by owners and potential buyers of these Rault items who are looking for information and photos to identify these signed LR pieces. And so has been born the LR-RL Signature-Mark confusion page. Check it out.

Rene Lalique Perruches Vase – A Lalique Copy That Is A Copy And Paste Of Lalique Photos And Description

June 7th, 2011

A real Lalique Ebay Eye Roller – Item No. 200616966765, an R-Lalique-Yellow-Perruches-10-Vase. A Rene Lalique Cased Yellow Perruches Vase brought to our attention by alert readers of this website. $1200 no reserve. Great pictures and great description:

R. Lalique Yellow Perruches 10″ “Vase. A translucent yellow glass vase, lightly frosted; relief molded with multiple parakeet couples perched in the trees. A bulbous form tapering towards the base with a thin raised rim at the top. Signed “R. Lalique”; no chips breaks, cracks or repairs. 10″H.

Let’s go back to May 2010, just a short year or so ago. Fontaines Auction Gallery in Pittsfield Massachusetts offers a great looking Perruches Vase! Great pictures can be seen at their online listing. Those photos look awful familiar. The vase sold for $12,000 hammer price. Here is the description from 2010:

Perrruches Vase Side View R. LaliqueR. Lalique Yellow Perruches 10″ “Vase. A translucent yellow glass vase, lightly frosted; relief molded with multiple parakeet couples perched in the trees. A bulbous form tapering towards the base with a thin raised rim at the top. Signed “R. Lalique”; no chips breaks, cracks or repairs. 10″H.

Does this description sound somewhat similar to the current Ebay listing?

So this is not the kind of Perruches Vase Copy we discuss in the Copies and Close Calls Section of the website. No, it’s the Copy and Paste type copy we put on the R. Lalique Police Page! Let’s face it, it is kind of suspicious.

Perrruches Vase Rim R. LaliqueBut where is the initiative with people today, not even bothering to write a new description? At least correct the typos in the thing if nothing else. Of course the lister had the good sense and free time to cut the watermark off of the bottom of the photos from last year’s listing, which is why some of the Ebay photos seem like the bottom of the vase is cut-off :). And talk about lack of ambition, the old listing had 10 different photos, but for reasons we can only guess at (and we will shortly), the seller on Ebay is using just 9 of them. Here is the missing photo that maybe someone figured with the writing and marks around the signature it can be matched up kind of easy to another photo or a vase. Just an assumption, but whatever the reason it’s missing from the current auction, we supply it here for all our readers to draw their own conclusions!

Perruches Vase R. Lalique Signature

Get your bids in early and often for the 90% price drop Perruches Vase! Oh, and you get FREE SHIPPING if you are the lucky winner! Local pick-up in Cleveland obviously not an option of course.

Lest anyone wonder if buyers get fooled, it was late last Fall if memory serves us well, that a longtime East Coast U.S. dealer was rumored to have gotten caught as the winning bidder for a Red Poissons Vase on Ebay which turned out to exist only in the photos from a previous auction sale. The red vase photos sold for the too good to be true price of around $7,000!

Now that’s just a rumor of course, but a word to the wise nonetheless: Be careful out there.

Rene Lalique Victoire Hood Ornament: The Stolen (Borrowed?) Lalique Photo Auction? Lalique Buyers Beware!

January 7th, 2011

Rene Lalique Hood Ornament VictoireR. Lalique Spirit of the Wind Lalique Victoire Hood Ornament For Sale! Only minor damage AND “It has never been for sale before…” it’s Item No. 160528702044 which has since been removed by Ebay.

Update: After receiving complaints about the auction, the seller changed out the stolen photo to a photo of a different Victoire Hood Ornament and amended the description to list more damage. Here is a link to a cached version of the original listing with the stolen photo showing: Stolen Photo Original Listing****

Rene Lalique Hood Ornament Victoire Nose DamagedAnd here is a post complaint photo of a Victoire the seller then claimed he was actually selling in the now deleted listing, which is obviously not the one in the original photo and listing as shown in the cached version of the original ad. Needs a bit of nose job don’t you think? End of Update Section, but see Danger Sign #6 Below.

Danger signs:

1. The auction advertisement has one photo in it, a photo that you can find elsewhere on the web if you look around a bit. Seriously, do you need more warning signs than that? If you are even thinking of bidding knowing this, serious due diligence should be taken to confirm the seller is in possession of the pictured item.

2. The seller has 18 feedbacks over 6 months or so. The top three transactions are for $85, $30, and $20! Heck, there’s even one for $0.99 (that’s ninety nine cents).

3. $32 shipping charge would not even cover the insurance!

4. Sellers of expensive items with high starting prices usually have lots of photos, not just one.

And MOST importantly:

5. This listing sits atop the list of suspicious items on the R. Lalique Police Page!

Update:
6. The Seller showed a single photo in the original ad of a Victoire that clearly was not for sale and coincidentally was a lot nicer looking than the one in the replacement photo later shown in the now deleted ad. Inquiring minds might ask: Was this fool me twice? End of Update

Rene Lalique Mascotte VictoireIt’s always a good idea to ask an online seller for more photos, just to be sure they have the item. But getting more photos is still not a guarantee that the seller owns the item shown in the ad or the item shown in the additional photos (what, they’re not the same item?), but it’s a good starting point to screen out many possible problems. And an even better idea to talk to an independent Lalique Consultant to minimize the chance of a major mistake!

The two photos in this article were taken from two different places. One is from the auction ad, the other from the web. Now seriously, which of the two photos here is the one from the auction, and which is the one you can find on the web? Hmmmmmmm …..

So be careful out there. The best case here would appear to be that the seller just took a photo off the web being too lazy or unable to take his or her own photos of this apparently expensive item. And even this best case would usually be a big problem if the photo taken from the web is not a photo of the actual item for sale (a bit unlikely?). Care should be taken to sort it out before bidding.

And finally, there’s an extension of Ebay scams where there is a stolen or borrowed photo listing to be aware of if you do run into one. After the auction ends or Ebay cancels the listing, if you had written the seller during the auction to make an inquiry, then after the auction you might get something like this:

“Hi,

My Lalique “BACCHANTES” Vase is not on ebay anymore, but it’s still available for sale.

My usual schedule has been changed and I had to go to Spain to take care of some business and that’s why I closed my auction.

The final price for the vase is US $ 1,700.00 including all the shipping costs and insurance. The vase is in perfect condition with no chips, cracks or dings.

Also I want to let you know that you will have the opportunity to receive and inspect the vase before you actually pay for it. If you are interested and want to know more details regarding the purchase just contact me.
Thanks,
Leda

P.S: If you want to see more pictures with the vase give me your email address.”

If you bite, the follow-up to this email is that there is an escrow website you can wire your money to before you receive the item. But of course you can get your money back if there is any problem. Really?

**** About the Cached Auction Link: You may have to use the zoom function of your browser (or whatever program opens images for you) to get the cached image to expand in the window if it does not appear full size. After clicking on the link to the item, a new window will open with the cached image in it. On a Mac, just click on the image and see if that expands it. If not, press the apple key and click on the cached image in your browser window. On a PC, hold down the alt key while clicking on the cached image.

Renaissance Antiques: Naim Bouchareb – Dounial The Ebay Seller And R Lalique Dealer

September 5th, 2010

Renaissance Antiques of Davenport Iowa, in the person of owner Naim Bouchareb, a regular seller on Ebay under the Ebay screen name Dounial, sells a lot of R Lalique items online. Some of these listings raise serious questions. We have been motivated to write about this R Lalique Seller for a variety of reasons including complaints and negative comments that have come in thru and because of the website, and also a recent couple of listings that squarely highlight the questions.

Fake Lalique Signature on Coq Nain From Dounial Renaissance Antiques Iowa

We have previously written in these pages, that if you are going to purchase from a dealer, that it is extremely important that your dealer be honest and competent. It’s also important that you are armed with the most information possible, which is the best defense against regrets and the various dark arts practiced throughout any collecting field.

Here we have what in our opinion is as fake a signature as can be found. The signature resides on a piece sold on Ebay by Renaissance Antiques. The piece in the cached version**** of the Dounial Ebay Listing sports the signature on the underside of the base as shown above. This item has graced the pages of the R Lalique Police Report Section for some time.

Lalique Coq Nain With Fake Signature From Dounial Renaissance Antiques IowaStranger than the signature, is its location on the underside of the base. Note in the photo the dark little pads under the piece and a signature that appears in the photo to be raised out of the glass. Of course, if you put a raised signature on the underside of a piece that has a flat bottom:

A – The signature will touch the surface of whatever it’s sitting on!

B – The piece will not sit level due to the signature being elevated from the rest of the base!

C – And the signature itself will be scraped up and maybe even off, and worn totally over time.

And there you have the little green pads, apparently to protect the signature and level the piece.

How many pieces do you have of authentic R Lalique, where the signature is raised on the flat part of the underside; an underside that by design comes in direct contact with the surface the piece is sitting on? Seriously, whoever put the signature on this piece wasn’t thinking it through, wasn’t familiar with R Lalique, or just didn’t care. Or there is a fourth possibility!

Many buyers of glass assume that a molded signature is a mark of authenticity. We have repeatedly stressed on RLalique.com that you should never buy a signature; that the signature does not authenticate the piece. In fact, the piece must authenticate the signature. In the example at hand, whether this piece is a post war Cristal Lalique reproduction or a Czech copy, the addition of the molded signature would typically be intended to give an assurance of authenticity of the piece being an original work of Rene Lalique.

But these “molded” signatures can be faked; with not too much more work than scratching in a phony signature with a sharp object. In simple terms, the forger protects with a stencil of some kind, the outline of the desired signature, and then using acid, cuts back everything else on the underside of the base a millimeter or two, leaving a raised “molded” signature that was not cut away with the acid. See Fake Lalique Signatures for other examples similar to the signature on this Coq Nain.

So here we have a regular seller of R Lalique pieces selling a piece that does not even appear right at first glance. What does the R Lalique Dealer, this regular seller of R Lalique, this Antiques Dealer, this Specialist have to say about this piece in his ad?

“AMAZING! R. LALIQUE FRANCE “COQ NAIN” CLEAR/FROSTED” and “Condition: very good condition, small chip on the base rim”

Who is the likely buyer of this piece? A beginning or novice collector that doesn’t know. Someone from the very group of collectors from which long term serious collectors emerge, assuming they don’t have the kinds of regrets to sour them on the entire collecting field that might be caused by a signature like the one on this piece.

The time spent to read up a little on Faked Lalique works and the related subjects covered by that link, may save you many regrets. And of course a little independent Lalique Consulting can go a long way toward avoiding bad experiences.

Rene Lalique Domremy Vase Missing Part of Rim from Dounial Renaissance Antiques IowaAnd if you liked the Coq Nain, you’ll like this cached version**** of a second Renaissance Antiques Ebay listing just as well. A bit of a play on an old Wendy’s**** advertising slogan “Where’s the Beef?”, we are inclined to ask Renaissance Antiques, Where’s the Rim? Oh yea …. “Excellent condition” so says the seller.

Compare the Dounial Ebay Domremy Vase pictured here with the photo of the Rene Lalique Domremy Vase below that came up for auction last year.

Renaissance Antiques thru their Ebay screen name Dounial is also featured on the website TiffanyFakes.com! Hardly surprising.

Is Dounial, Mr. Naim Bouchareb, Renaissance Antiques, guilty of nothing more than ignorance? Is it omission or commission? Responsibility or irresponsibility? Regardless, the result is the same for a buyer that relies on “Amazing!” and “very good condition” and bizarre “molded” signatures blazoned across the bottom of car mascots or paperweights.

Rene Lalique Vase Domremy in Green GlassAnd this is why, if you are buying from a dealer, that having a competent and honest dealer (along with getting independent advice concerning your purchases) is so important. If you know a fair amount about R Lalique, and if you are careful, and if you purchase from many sources at auctions, online, thru individuals, etc., you may make a few mistakes and have a couple of regrets. But if you are buying regularly from the same dealer, a dealer that is not competent and honest, you may end up with many, many regrets. It is for this reason that we emphasized previously (see Lalique Bacchantes article) and reiterate here the great importance to you as a buyer, that if you are buying from a dealer, you should ensure that the dealer is honest and competent.

And how much did Renaissance Antiques make on the Coq Nain sale? They sold the piece for $399, a lot less even than the few pieces of silver you hear tell about.

UPDATE October 30, 2010:

Lalique Crystal Coppelia BoxNew Dounial Ebay LIsting: R. LALIQUE FRANCE “ROSES EN RELIEF” DRESSER BOX W/ LID

Here is a link to a cached version**** of another listing from Renaissance Antiques selling as Dounial on Ebay. The actual name of the listed box, shown here on the right in a photo from the Ebay listing, is Coppelia. It is a modern post war crystal box made by Cristal Lalique. The Cristal Lalique model number is 10578, which is documented along with the name of the box in the below photo from the book Lalique Par Marie-Claude Lalique on Page 251.

Lalique Crystal Coppelia Box

A nice modern crystal item. Certainly not an R. Lalique France “Roses in Relief” Box as described in the title to the Renaissance Antiques Ebay ad. Curiously, we cannot see the signature on the Ebay box in the photos that Renaissance Antiques has used in the ad. Curioser, the ad does not state what the signature says!

UPDATE July 18, 2011: Get Your R. Lalique Perfume Bottle – It is Signed!!

Renaissance Antiques Signature on Claimed R. Lalique Perfume BottleIn July of 2011, Ebay Dounial put up for auction Item No. 370527285412, a modern crystal Clairefontane Perfume Bottle described by Renaissance Antiques in the Auction Title as Circa 1945 R. Lalique. Here is a link to the Cached Image Version**** of the Dounial Ebay Perfume Bottle. At least they show a (very dark) photo of the signature at the bottom of the ad; a signature that indicates it is a post war crystal reproduction Perfume Bottle by Cristal Lalique. What makes that so great is in the auction description they again say it’s an R. Lalique Perfume Bottle and add some gravitas by stating “… it is signed.” Taken by itself, that last quote is true, it’s just too bad it isn’t signed R. Lalique. We can already see the next ad: “Get your signed Picasso Painting?” And you look and see the painting is signed “Renaissance Antiques”.

UPDATE August 14, 2011: Get Your R. Lalique Drinking Glasses oops Vases!!

Rene Lalique Drinking Glass MarienthalIn August of 2011 Dounial put up at auction two different listings for Marienthal drinking glasses but advertised them as vases! Hmmmm, wonder what the motive was for that. Get your “MAGNIFICENT 1927 R LALIQUE AMBER MARIENTHAL VASE”, and don’t worry if you have a strange urge to use it for a soda or even a mixed drink!! Here are the cached versions **** of the two listings: Dounial Ebay Vase 1 and Ebay Dounial Vase 2! What will he think of next?

Oh yea, don’t drink the flowers.

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UPDATE September 24, 2011
Get Your R. Lalique damaged perfume bottle oops Bud Vase!!

Dounial Renaissance Antiques Damaged Perfume Bottle Being Sold As A VaseRene Lalique Ambre Antique Perfume Bottle For Coty

“SPECTACULAR R. LALIQUE BUD VASE WITH NUDES”
Here’s a link to a cached version **** of a great listing from Renaissance Antiques on Ebay selling as Dounial.

The Ebay item, the “BUD VASE” which is shown above and to the left, appears to be an Ambre Antique Perfume Bottle that is missing the stopper, the entire rim, the neck, and more. Compare that to the Ambre Antique Rene Lalique Perfume Bottle made for Coty on the right! Pity the unsuspecting vase buyer. Get your one of a kind, newly discovered R. Lalique Bud Vase, so rare, it’s not documented as a vase, but it is signed 🙂

UPDATE December 17, 2011
The Buffalo Bill Cody Perfume Bottle!
Buffalo Bill Cody
“MAGNIFICENT C.1920 R. LALIQUE PERFUME BOTTLE MADE FOR THE CODY COMPANY”

Buffalo Bill Cody Perfume Bottle Sold as R. LaliqueYes friends, who knew Buffalo Bill Cody was in the perfume business?

Yet another exciting discovery brought to you by Dunial of Renaissnce Antiques on Ebay! And as usual, the best thing about this bottle; the mark of authenticity is ” …… it is also signed.” Now that’s comforting. Too bad it’s not signed R. Lalique of course, but rest assured ” …… it is also signed.”

Here’s a link to the cached version of an Ebay Listing where you’ll see someone bought the thing for $199!

If anyone has any documentation that the Buffalo Bill Bottle is an authentic R. Lalique Perfume Bottle as represented in the advertisement, please forward it to us. Or if anyone has an old photo of Buffalo Bill holding this bottle, please send that to us also. 🙂

UPDATE April 28, 2012: Get Your Lalique Studios Penguin Paperweight!!

Zellique Studios Penguine PaperweightJust when you thought you’d seen everything, here’s a link to the cached version**** of a great Naim Bouchareb listing for a penguin paperweight made by Zellique Studios. If you take a look at the listing, you’ll see it’s signed Zellique Studios! But Dounial decided to sell it as Lalique Studios! You cannot make this stuff up. We also include a link to an Ebay listing from someone that properly identified the paperweight (by reading the clear signature on the piece), sold it as Zellique, and got more money with a truthful advertisement than Mr. Bouchareb did passing the thing off as Lalique. You can draw your own conclusions about what pays and what does not pay.

And the band plays on.

*** Wendy’s was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1969 by one of the great (and regretfully late) American Entrepreneurs, Dave Thomas. There is a persistent and widespread story going around that he named the restaurant chain after his daughter Wendy. But he didn’t have a daughter named Wendy! His daughter’s name was Melinda Lou. Of course at a young age she couldn’t pronounce her own name, and got the nickname Wendy, a name she could pronounce, which makes the whole story true enough. To think we’ve really been eating at Melinda Lou’s all this time.

****You may have to use the zoom function of your browser (or whatever program opens images for you) to get the cached image to expand in the window if it does not appear full size. After clicking on the link to the item, a new window will open with the cached image in it. On a Mac, just click on the image and see if that expands it. If not, press the apple key and click on the cached image in your browser window. On a PC, hold down the alt key while clicking on the cached image.

October 23rd, 2010 Update: Switched Item Link To Cached Image Version

January 10, 2011 Update: Switched Roses Box Link to Cached Image Version

July 18, 2011 Update: Added paragraph to discuss current offering of a modern crystal perfume bottles as R. Lalique Circa 1945.

August 14, 2011 Update: Added paragraph to discuss offering Marienthal drinking glasses as vases.

August 15, 2011 Update: Updated links. Switched Marienthal drinking glass listings to Cached Image Versions. Both sold listings strangely disappeared from Ebay already. Dounial had also re-listed what appeared to be the same yellow amber Marienthal Glass (the “vase” that had just sold?) and that re-listing also disappeared. We also updated the Clairefontaine Perfume link to the Cached Image Version from our July update, as this listing also disappeared from Ebay along with the aforementioned other listings.

December 23, 2011 Update: Switched Bud Vase / Damaged Perfume Bottle link to Cached Image Version

April 28, 2012 Update: Added modern Zelique Studios Penguin Dounial sold as R.Lalique and switched the Wild Bill Cody Perfume Bottle link to the cached version.

R. Lalique Online: Ebay And The Eagles – Lalique And The Beetles

August 7th, 2010

EBay is a great marketplace for the works of Rene Lalique. Cool and rare objects appear out of the hinterlands and offer opportunities for collectors they would never have seen before. And just the sheer volume of daily trading of R. Lalique items creates liquidity in the market and contributes to the overall stability of the worldwide collecting field. It’s a great place to sell items with low transaction costs, and a great place to buy pieces as well.

But like all things, the story is usually not entirely one sided, and as regular visitors to RLalique.com are aware, many items are listed on Ebay under the R. Lalique banner, that are not always exactly what they seem.

Rene Lalique Beetle VaseThe RLalique Police Page always has a “good” selection of various problematic Ebay auctions listed for anyone that wants to take the time to investigate before bidding on something. And we can’t leave this topic without mentioning of course, that we also do offer affordable Lalique Consulting for any purchase, not just on Ebay but for any auction item (or an entire auction) or private sale worldwide.

One Ebay item in particular was brought to our attention by several alert readers in recent days and it has graced the top of the RLalique Police listings since it first appeared online. The auction was purportedly for the Rene Lalique Vase Gros Scarabees: The Lalique Beetle Vase! The auction ended today, and while we were looking at the Ebay Item Page in feigned disbelief, the refrain from the old Eagles standard kept running thru our minds:

There’s gonna be a heartache tonight,
A heartache tonight, I know.
There’s gonna be a heartache tonight, I know.
Lord, I know.

Rene Lalique Beetles VaseWhat makes this listing so “great”, is the sheer laziness of the Ebay seller combined with the obvious warning signs. Here is a link to a saved/cached image version of the original 190426530971 listing online***, the “Grosses Scarabees Vase”. You can’t make these names up, they just appear! How did this become the “Grosses”? Simple, the seller copied that information directly from a previous online auction listing along with the exact same three photos in that previous listing!

The original seller of this vase last year, an auction house that regularly sells R. Lalique, made a mistake in their heading when they brought the vase to auction in June of 2009 and called it the “Grosses Scarabees Vase”. The current Ebay lister just copied out the info, correct, mistaken, no matter. See the original listing for yourself here: Grosses Vase.

And the three photos? Well, they are actually just one photo that was then given different effects (lighter, darker, highlights) to make it appear to be three different photos.

Rago reports that with buyers premium the vase sold last year for $8400. Then it appears on Ebay a year later, with an $800 starting price and no reserve! And the lucky winner gets it for only $2000! Oh, and FREE shipping too! That’s a really big expense for the seller that he’s throwing in :). How great is this?

Well, we already know how this story is going to end:

There’s gonna be a heartache tonight,
A heartache tonight, I know.
There’s gonna be a heartache tonight, I know.
Lord, I know.

***You may have to use the zoom function of your browser (or whatever program opens images for you) to get the cached image to expand in the window if it does not appear full size. After clicking on the link to the item, a new window will open with the cached image in it. On a Mac, just click on the image and see if that expands it. If not, press the apple key and click on the cached image in your browser window. On a PC, hold down the alt key while clicking on the cached image.

Lalique Bacchantes Vase: Post-War Opalescent Cristal Lalique Bacchantes Vase At Roadshow

May 2nd, 2010

Bacchantes Opalescent Lalique Cristal VaseThe modern Lalique Company has reproduced the Rene Lalique Bacchantes Vase in crystal basically continuously since production of Lalique crystal began after the end of World War II. These crystal reproductions have continued to bring this iconic Rene Lalique design into the homes of tens of thousands of people worldwide even to this day.

The Bacchantes Vase has been reproduced most commonly in clear and frosted crystal, but also yellow amber and gray colored crystal as well.

Unfortunately, some of these modern crystal vases have appeared with altered signatures and sometimes added patinas to be passed off as original R Lalique Bacchantes Vases. By far the most common vase seen in this altered state has been the clear and frosted version. And this has created problems for unsuspecting collectors of the works of the great Rene Lalique.

But little known is the fact that the Bacchantes was also reproduced after the death of Rene Lalique in opalescent crystal, appearing with the signature LALIQUE CRISTAL FRANCE! Pictured here is just such a vase and two photos of the signature. One of these crystal opalescent versions appeared at the U.S. Antiques Roadshow in August 2003 in Oklahoma City that aired in March of 2004, and we thought bringing this to your attention would be a good opportunity to talk about the existence of these crystal reproductions and give a little information and advice about what to look out for.

A modern opalescent Bacchantes Vase has also appeared with a typical script Lalique France signature, and bearing all the other signs of post-war production as discussed below.

Bacchantes Opalescent Lalique Crystal Vase Signature

The hallmark of the post-war crystal reproduction Bacchantes is that the bottom of the vase is flat and does not have the concave (indented) center section to the underside of the base that is found on original Rene Lalique Bacchantes. This is the key point to look out for. R. Lalique collectors should avoid any flat bottom Bacchantes Vase no matter what the signature says.

Bacchantes Opalescent Lalique Cristal Vase Signature

But the next point: It is possible to alter a flat bottom vase and polish out a concave center section to the underside of the base. It’s a lot of work and will involve some expense and some risk, but the stakes are high, with the original R Lalique vases being worth much more than the post-war crystal reproductions. At the time this article was originally written it said: “We have not seen such a vase, but technically it is possible and just something to keep in mind.” However, we have seen several such vases in the years since this article originally appeared. We have seen modern colored Bacchantes that were altered by experienced glass workers from the Alsace region of France, including making the bottoms concave and adding forged pre-war signatures. The perpetrators were apparently caught but not until after some number of forged Bacchantes had made their way to the market. Those expertly altered and forged vases are almost certainly still out there in various collections and will appear in the future.

And the fact that experienced glass workers knew to alter the bottoms to make them concave to be convincing as pre-war? That kind of proves our point.

Bacchantes Opalescent Rene Lalique Authentic Glass Vase Concave Underside and SignatureOnce you are past the flat bottom (see photo on left for an authentic Rene Lalique Glass Bacchantes Vase concave underside), all the regular general rules of evaluation apply. Three sample criteria to keep in mind are:

1. Crystal is heavier than glass, and it feels different. Your best defense is to have handled thousands of pieces of R Lalique so you might know just by handling if you have an original glass version, or a later crystal reproduction.

2. An equally good defense, especially with the amounts of money involved, is to hire an independent reputable Rene Lalique Expert Consultant to evaluate or locate potential purchases. Getting independent advice from a reputable source flows nicely to our third sample criteria:

3. Deal with an honest and competent seller!!! Dealing with an honest and competent seller is not the end of all potential problems, but if you have a choice, an honest and competent seller is the way to go. Not starting out every purchase having to think about how the seller is trying to get one over on you* does provide some assurance and makes the collecting experience a lot more enjoyable. Of course when buying online or making one-off purchases thru similar methods, you may not know much about the seller and we highly recommend in any event getting as educated as you can and spending your time focusing on the item you plan to purchase.

But if you know your seller or dealer makes a living selling R Lalique, then you definitely want to be dealing with someone that is both honest and competent. And when you combine dealing with an honest and competent seller with getting independent expert advice from a reputable consultant, you have drastically reduced the chance to have regrets and you are much more likely to obtain high quality examples at fair prices and build a great collection in a much more pleasant way.

And if you want to know more about Lalique Crystal, the crystal items made after the death of Rene Lalique, a good starting point is the Lalique Crystal section of the Rene Lalique Biography at RLalique.com. There you’ll find links to all the information on RLalique.com about Lalique Crystal, and also a link to the website of the modern crystal maker Lalique S.A.

*to get one over on you – to try and slip something by you, to dupe, trick, fool, or deceive you. On the other side of the pond there are similar expressions with similar meanings in use in different parts of the country – “get over on you”, “to have you off”, or “to have you on” are three examples.

**strong suit – something at which one excels

Fake R Lalique: The Fake Lalique Sauterelles “Grasshopper” Vase – The Quintessential Close Call

April 25th, 2010

Sauterelles Fake Rene Lalique purple VaseFake Lalique is something that all collectors have to be on the lookout for. It’s something that is a problem to varying degrees in every collecting field. In the big scope of things, it’s much less of an issue with R Lalique than in many other areas of collecting, but it still is an issue to be on guard against.

Here is an Ebay listing that in a nutshell* is one of the most prevalent items passed off as the work of Rene Lalique. The stereotypical fake Sauterelles embodies not just ease of identifying fakes for a collector, but also the truth in the concept that “a little knowledge can be dangerous”**.

First, a link to the cached version of the Ebay listing: Ebay Item 140401627596. You may have to use the zoom function of your browser (or whatever program opens images for you) to get the cached image to expand in the window if it does not appear full size. After clicking on the link to the item, a new window will open with the cached image in it. On a Mac, just click on the image and see if that expands it. If not, press the apple key and click on the cached image in your browser window. On a PC, hold down the alt key while clicking on the cached image.. Fake as fake can be. This supposed Lalique Sauterelles Vase has all the elements. The too tall rim, the too thick rim, the crude finish, the bizarre color. And it has the added oomph of this claim “It was purchased at a Christies auction along with many other signed Lalique pieces.”

Likely, if you had this vase in hand, and you had handled thousands of pieces of R Lalique glass, you would know just from the feel when you picked it up that it’s a complete fake***. This is an easy one to spot no doubt.

Sauterelles Fake Rene Lalique Amber VaseBut consider the danger of knowing about this piece and thinking you know-it-all about the fake Lalique Sauterelles. Because just when you think, “Oh, I can spot that coming a mile away!” the makers may adapt their tactics and go to plans B and C. So like everything else in life, when you learn about something, you have to think about not just what you do know, but what you don’t yet know.

Plan B: Take a vase like the blue/purple Ebay one, pick a more believable color, and then polish up (well, really down) the rim, and get it in a closer and less crude shape to authentic examples. With a better color and a better rim, “first glance” and “mile away” may not put you on alert! See the photo of the Amber Sauterelles Vase above.

Plan C: Start over, use a better, closer to reality glass and finish, and adjust your mold and finish to produce from the get-go**** a better looking product that more closely matches the authentic pieces in color, size, rim, and glass composition. See the photo of the Blue Sauterelles Vase below. Now, many collectors might not know the difference even after inspection if they had not handled sufficient amounts of Lalique glass, or did not take caution in examining the vase. Compare the Blue and Amber Sauterelles photos to the blue/purple one from the Ebay listing and see the improvement in technique between models.

Sauterelles Fake Rene Lalique Blue VaseWhile it is thought that these cruder and usually older fake Sauterelles Vases come from South America, the Plan C vases that we have seen have come from Europe! And of course, Plan B vases can come from anywhere from New York City to Buenos Aires.

So for the Ebay vase, what is one of the easiest copies to spot is also a lesson in what to think about once you have gained some knowledge. Not to bask in the glory of what you know, but to give some thought to what you don’t yet know!

As always, keep in mind that the knowledge or motive of the seller of one of these Fake Lalique items is almost totally irrelevant to you. Your concern is the piece and not the person. Don’t waste your time wondering too much about the seller. Spend your time wondering about the vase. This listing presents a great example of that. Here, the seller makes the Christies provenance representation. Even if they don’t have a receipt to prove it, even if Christies never sold a vase like this, the seller may have been told this by the person or place that they got the vase from. They might just be passing along what they believe to be true. Either way, who cares? The only issue for you as a collector is the authenticity of the vase and not the authenticity of the claims of the seller.

Also, many of these vases were not made with the intent to fool anyone. Someone may have copied the design because they liked it, not to sell it as something it is not. In the Ebay listing, the manufacturer of the vase did not sign it RLalique or whatever. It’s unsigned. So at least at that initial stage, there may have been no intent to deceive, just to copy! And today’s seller may believe everything written in the ad on Ebay. But again, your only concern is the piece in front of you, the here and now, and what you know to be the facts.

You’ll find links to all the information about Rene Lalique Fakes everywhere on RLalique.com in the Fake Lalique Section of the Rene Lalique Biography, including links to the Copies and Close Calls Section of the website where additional photos and information about Lalique Copies can be found including specific information on Fake Sauterelles Vases.

And if you need expert advice in your purchase decisions, take a look at the services offered at RLalique.com in the Lalique Expert Consulting Section of the website. Independent expert advice can and should pay huge dividends when making your purchase decisions. For typically a small percentage of what you are spending, it can prove invaluable in helping you buy with confidence and avoid regrets.

* “In a nutshell” is an old expression used by Shakespeare in the early 1600’s (“….O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell ……..” declares Hamlet) and by Pliny 1500 years before that (when he relates Cicero’s statement that the whole Iliad was written on a piece of parchment which might be put into a nutshell). It means a small space, or something small such as a concise explanation.

**”A little knowledge can be dangerous” – First used by Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744) in An Essay on Criticism, 1709: “A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.”

*** A “complete fake”? This begs the question: What is the difference between a complete fake and a regular fake? The answer: You’ll know it when you see it.

**** Get-go or getgo is American expression, kind of a vernacular contraction without the apostrophe. It really just shortens up the phrase “get going” or the phrase “get ready, get set, go!”. It means the start or the beginning and is usually used with in the form “from the get-go”.

Rene Lalique Fakes: Antiques & Auction News Article Features RLalique.com As Its R Lalique Reference!

October 14th, 2009

Fake Lalique VaseThe October 16th issue of the “Antiques & Auction News”, the antiques publication that bills itself as “The Most Widely Read Collector’s Newspaper in the East!” has an extensive article covering the highlights of what collectors should be aware of in the area of fake Lalique and other dodgy items passed off as RLalique. The article, titled “Fooled By Fakes: Buyer Beware! Rene Lalique Art Glass by Anita Stratos”, also includes a discussion on color changed radiated pieces, as well as advice on how to protect yourself by being well informed.

The main reference material for the article was the information found here at RLalique.com in our section on Fake Lalique items, as well as in phone conversations between the author and an expert here at RLalique.com World Headquarters! Seriously, when you want to talk Ghosts; who you gonna call? You call Ghostbusters! When you want to talk RLalique ……….

Fake Lalique BowlWe’ve posted the article in its entirety with the generous and kind permission of the author Anita Stratos, in our Rene Lalique Articles of Interest Section! In addition to this article, you’ll also find several other articles of interest in that section, including articles covering bid rigging at auctions and other illegal bid schemes, which were written by a lawyer knowledgeable in auction law.

Fake Lalique Perfume BottleWe noted for the fakes article, that the incidence of fake Lalique items is much less than in many other fields, but as you can see from our Fake Lalique Section, and also the RLalique Police Page, there are landmines out there to be avoided.

Great news to have coverage of information from our site by a large and respected antiques publication. And also to have wider coverage of the kind of information that collectors should have to protect themselves against a mistaken purchase. One of the worst things for a collecting community is to have anyone, especially novice collectors or beginning collectors buy a fake or other problematic piece.

Fake Lalique StatueIt’s in the interest of all R Lalique collectors to have widely available information in this area, and to have a large overall knowledge base of public information that purchasers can access to get educated. This article is another step in the right direction of increasing public awareness and education. Check it out.

By the way, every item model pictured in this blog post has been represented or offered for sale as R Lalique. None are.

Lalique Fake Jewelry At Auctions: Fake R.Lalique!

April 7th, 2009

Rene Lalique Fake Jewelry Hair CombRene Lalique Fake Jewelry Hair CombRene Lalique Fake Jewelry Hair CombRene Lalique Fake Jewelry PendantRene Lalique Fake Jewelry Appears With Increasing Frequency: There are currently several different jewelry auctions online  falsely claiming to be the work of Rene Lalique. This is beginning to look like the start of a trend, there having been a fourth fake R Lalique jewelry auction which just ended recently with a reported sale price of $2000! The jewelry of Rene Lalique is not as well documented as his glass works. So we thought we would highlight some of this fake R Lalique jewellery (a hat tip for our British readers) in the hopes that unsuspecting buyers may be spared an expensive education! Below are the auction listing links (3 current, one ended), and of course, the four photos in this post, all of which are being marketed as period R Lalique jewelry; all of which are fakes. You gotta love the seller of several of these items: ALL SALES ARE FINAL. THERE ARE NO REFUNDS OR RETURNS AND PAYMENT IS DUE IMMEDIATELY”! Really? Or as an alert contributor to the R Lalique Police Section (where all four of these fake R Lalique items are listed) pointed out to us, the other seller says: “I Will Divide Up The Money Among My TREE Children!” Hmmmmmm. Those fans of Hill Street Blues know the old maxim well ……”Be Careful Out There!” Don’t want to fall out of your tree!

PS. Of course, over at the R Lalique Books Library, there are an amazing number of Rene Lalique reference books for R Lalique Jewelry, including the bible of R Lalique Jewelry: Rene Lalique Schmuck und Objects d’art 1890-1910 By Sigrid Barten which has over 1700 photos and is found in the Modern R Lalique Books Section, as well a good number of Rene Lalique jewelry exhibition books and catalogs, and R Lalique jewelry auction catalogues as well.

ANTIQUE-HAIR-COMB-HORN-BY-LALIQUE-18KT-GOLD-DIAMONDS Ebay Item 190298613347 ANTIQUE HAIR COMB HORN BY LALIQUE 18KT GOLD DIAMONDS

Ebay Item 200321633101 ANTIQUE HAIR COMB HORN BY LALIQUE WITH 14KT GOLD

ANTIQUE-HAIR-COMB-HORN-BY-LALIQUE-14KT-GOLD-DIAMONDS Ebay Item 200327852647 ANTIQUE HAIR COMB HORN BY LALIQUE 14KT GOLD DIAMONDS

LALIQUE-GOLD-PENDANT-1900-ART-NOUVEAU-UNIQUE Ebay Item 270369181854 LALIQUE GOLD PENDANT 1900 ART NOUVEAU UNIQUE

A Stand-Up R Lalique Beetle? Doesn’t That Bug You? The Dangerfield Gros Scarabees Vase!

March 4th, 2009

Not R Lalique - Fake Gros Scarabees Beetle VaseAn R Lalique Ask Yourself This: What do some recently appearing clear and frosted Gros Scarabees Beetle Vases and Ebeneezer Scrooge have in common? Nothing jumps to mind? 🙂 Here’s what you do to find out. Check out this photo of a fake Rene Lalique Gros Scarabees Vase! Don’t spend too much time identifying the various smaller differences between it and the documented Gros Scarabees like the one shown in the Catalogue Raisonne, or the great Cased Green Gros Scarabees Vase in the Lalique For Sale Section here at RLalique.com, or the one shown in the R Lalique 1932 Catalogue. Just focus in on the bottom row of beetles. Is that beetle in the middle doing a “stand up” comedy routine? Documented Gros Scarabees Vases don’t have a beetle standing straight up in the bottom row. Don’t walk, run, from a comic wannabee beetle. We’ve taken to calling these the “Dangerfield Beetle Vases”! So many puns on so many levels. Who can “stand” this stuff? And as always with supposed R Lalique items that may not be what they are represented to be; don’t waste a lot of time questioning the motives of the seller, if they know, if they care, whatever. The only thing that’s important is to be educated and know what you are buying. Or more importantly, to know what not to buy. We’ve seen these vases in Africa, in Europe and in the United States. They are very high quality, so be aware! One last observation: It seems that whoever made this mold wasn’t trying to pass anything off as R Lalique at the time. They were just nearly copying a great design. No different in concept really than the Consolidated Perruches Vase for example, a near copy of a great design that was not made to be sold as R Lalique. It appears likely that the maker of the mold for these vases purposefully didn’t make an exact copy, because from the quality, it seems they almost certainly could have closed the last few gaps if that was their original intention. It’s the addition of the R Lalique signature that starts these vases down the path of the dark side! Oh…… Scrooge and a Beetle? – Bah HumBug! And as the late and great Paul Harvey said from time to time; Now you know the rest of the story!

 
 

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