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United Parcel Service – No Customer Service

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We all receive packages shipped UPS.  For most of us there are no issues: the package arrives pretty close to the scheduled delivery date. However, when the package does not arrive on time…

I had a fragile unframed watercolor shipped UPS from France on March 23rd.  It finally arrived on April 26th.  For several weeks the information posted on the UPS website was “Warehouse Scan”.   I contacted UPS by email and telephone. The representatives parrot the tracking information posted on the UPS website: “Warehouse Scan”. They could not determine why the package was sitting in a warehouse nor did they have the tools to research the issue.  I escalated the request and spoke to several supervisors – none of whom could provide a better status.  I was promised by one supervisor that he  would “personally investigate” the status of the package and return my call with an  update. That did not happen.

The website also indicated that “Import Fees are Due”. The online payment system didn’t work so I called UPS and made payment with credit card. However the website alert was not updated.  I was told by UPS that the alert would disappear when the package arrived in the USA.  That did not happen either.

I called again and was advised that the brokerage unit would contact me within an hour to review the alert issue. That did not happen.  When I called again and was connected to the brokerage unit the representative told me that the customer service unit always tells customers that brokerage unit will call them back within the hour, but that, in fact, the brokerage unit does not do this. (I miss the days of Continuous Process Improvement CPI!)

UPS has a basic template for package delivery but has no tools in place to handle the exceptions: those packages that fall through the cracks.  The customer service representatives are courteous but there is no value added.  If indeed the customer representatives can only repeat what is on the website then perhaps UPS should downsize the customer service staff and focus on reliable data and better website accuracy.

Today I asked the representative how to apply for a refund. The 3 day shipping has taken over a month and the interactions with UPS frustrating and unhelpful. I was told to contact the shipper and ask the shipper for a refund.  Apparently UPS believes they have no responsibility for their role as a package delivery service.  I asked to escalate the request and was told that a supervisor would return my call.  Didn’t happen.

UPS does not understand the meaning of a customer service or process improvement model!  The service representatives and management staff show no interest in either improving the customer service experience or product delivery information. When I asked to speak to a manager to file a complaint the representative said he noted my concern. I queried “So will a manager be contacting me?”   He said no, he was only noting my concern… (whatever that means…)

It is unfortunate but, when a delivery is missed, I cannot say that I have had better service with FedEx or DHL either.  I wish I could ship USPS from France. Despite the critics, I have always found their services to be more reliable.

MBE coordinated the shipping of this particular package with UPS.  Due to our shared experience they recommend that future parcels ship DHL or FedEx to avoid similar scenarios.

Finding Shippers in France & Belgium

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You found a painting, a piece of ceramic, glass or another decorative art item at an online auction in France or Belgium. You requested and received the condition report and confirmed payment options are satisfactory. The one remaining task before you submit a bid is to identify available shipping services. There are a few good shipping services in Paris but quotes can vary by 200-500 Euros for similarly sized and weighted items even by the same shipper! Extending into the remote areas of France and much of Belgium (including Brussels) the options are fewer. And in some locations you will not be able to find a shipping service.

In the auction is in Paris I request estimates from at least three shippers due to the significant variation in pricing. I recently purchased a small painting in Brussels and contacted the seven shipping firms that the auction house recommended. Of the seven firms only three provided quotes. The quotes received were between 500 – 1000 Euros which, I felt from experience, were too high. I contacted three shippers in Paris and the best price to ship the same package was less than 275 Euros. Fortunately, the auction house Cornette de Saint-Cyr has locations in both Brussels and Paris and easily arranged to transfer the painting to Paris where I could take advantage of the lower shipping rate.

This is the process I follow to ensure that a) shipping options are available and b) that I obtain the best shipping quote:

Before bidding at on online auction verify that there are viable shipping options:

    1. Does the auction house provide shipping services?  If so, can they quote an approximate shipping rate?  Is insurance included?
    2. If the auction house does not provide shipping services can they provide a list of shippers?
    3. If the quotes received from the list of shippers are high ask if the auction house has a different location where the piece can be transferred to.  (For example, Millon and Cornette de Saint Cyr have auction houses in Brussels and in Paris.)  Request a list of shippers from the alternate location to determine if transferring the item provides better shipping options.
    4. Check online or ask nearby auction houses for their list of shippers.
    5. If you cannot find a shipping service and are still intent to bid on the item you may be able to persuade the auction house to pack the item for you.  The auction house may be willing to ship via LaPoste in France or Bpost in Belgium which are comparable to the United States Post Service (USPS).  Request that the auction house insure the item and pack well in a sturdy box (or double box if the item is fragile).  Note:  You may not be able to fully insure the items due to limits set by these services.
    6. Another option is to ask the auction house to pack the item as described above.  Depending on the location UPS, DHL or FedEx may be able to arrange a pick-up at the auction house and provide full insurance.

Identify payment options. In remote areas the shippers may not take credit card payments or may be unwilling or unable to fully insure packages. You may need to accept less insurance and pay via a wire transfer.

Best Tip: Where possible, always obtain quotes from multiple shippers even from those who typically quote high. You may be pleasantly surprised!  Consider all options.

Louis Lourioux Remembered…

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Louis Lourioux died in an accident while driving his convertible Delahaye Grand Sport in Bourges at the young age of 35 in 1930. However, it would be tragic to dismiss his considerable artistic contribution to French ceramics.

Louis Lourioux began producing around 1902 in Foëcy, in the midst of the Art Nouveau period. Imaginative and creative, he creates superb pieces of shapes or decorations inspired by the plant and animal world. The Academy officer appointed him an “art ceramist” in 1906. He then moved towards decorations with geometric and Art Deco shapes. Like Émile Decoeur, he is noted for the quality and variety of his enamels.

Louis Lourioux took over the management of the Buchon and Legros porcelain factory in 1924. He quickly developed the business by creating original materials, shapes and patterns, combining ingenuity and technical mastery in his research laboratory. The factory employed around two hundred workers in the 1920’s.

He quickly oriented his manufacture towards a more artistic production with the help of the decorator Aristide Pipet and the sculptors Joé Descomps-Cormier and Charles Lemanceau. He also worked for the La Maîtrise (Galeries Lafayette) and Primavera workshops and exhibited his works in many salons: Salon d’automne, the salon of decorative artists…

After his death in 1930, the factory was managed by his widow until 1949, then by a niece associated with the Lunéville earthenware factory before joining the Deshoulières porcelain group in 1968. Pieces are marked either with the two wings, each with an “L” – a play on words in French – deux ailes – two wings and two “L”s, or with the stamp of a running female wolf – à la louve.

Lourioux Stoneware Vase
Louis Lourioux Vase for Purchase

Jean Carries

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Jean-Joseph Marie Carriès (1855-1894) is remembered for his visionary work and technical mastery as a sculptor and ceramicist. He was born in Lyon, France where, at the age of six, is orphaned and raised in a Roman Catholic orphanage. He apprentices with a local sculptor, Pierre Vermare, before moving to Paris to enroll at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris to study sculpture under Augustin-Alexandre Dumont. He gains recognition for his sculpted (mostly bronze) works at the Paris Salons of 1875, 1879, and 1881. In 1878, being influenced by the Japanese ceramic works at the World’s Fair in Paris, Jean Carriès begins the study of pottery. In 1886 he is introduced to Ernest Chaplet by the artist Paul Gauguin at the Chaplet workshop on Rue Blomet. In 1888 Jean Carriès installs a workshop in La Bertille in Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye and presents his first stoneware works, a year later, in his studio on Boulevard Arago in Paris. His stoneware includes whimsical “grotesque” masks, fauns with rabbit ears, misshapen toads, heads of babies with grimacing faces, and elegant, sumptuous vases with running glazes. Jean Carriès dies at the age of 39 from pleurisy and is buried in Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Despite his early death, his artistic legacy continues with the followers of l’Ecole De Carriès (school of Carries).

Forum Auctions & Alban Shipping – Stars of 2019

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I participated in the Editions and Works on Paper 1500-2018 auction on January 29, 2019 by Forum Auctions in London.  I was interested in Lithographie no.18 by the French painter, Pierre Soulages.  His lithographs are in demand and finding one in very good condition (without staining, foxing and discoloration) is a challenge.  Robert Jones at Forum Auctions kindly provided the initial condition report and Sarah McLean forwarded high resolution photographs confirming that the condition was indeed quite good.  Encouraged, I placed a bid and won the lot!

Pierre Soulages Lithograph Framed

I contacted several firms for a shipping quote and raised a concern with Sarah about potential damage in transferring the unframed lithograph to the shipper’s facility. Sarah recommended Alban Shipping and then personally coordinated the transfer of the lithograph from the auction house to the shipping facility.  The lithograph arrived in perfect condition!

If you have the opportunity please check out Forum Auctions and Alban Shipping. They will provide you with a well coordinated, memorable experience coupled with stellar customer service!

Arts De L’Ecole De Nancy

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A Tribute To Frères Mougin

Mougin Atelier - Cappelaere & Prunaux Encheres

On January 26th, treasured items of French ceramic history were disseminated around the globe. The Arts De L’Ecole De Nancy sale by Cappelaere-Prunaux auctioned ceramics by the gifted Mougin family – Joseph, Pierre, Odile, Bernard and Francois. Dr. Jacques G. Peiffer, distinguished author of several important books on the Frères Mougin is the cited expert for the sale.  In addition to the ceramics, and why (to me) this sale is so very special, is the auctioning of personal memorabilia associated with this renowned family: – Photographs of Joseph Mougin working in the atelier – Intimate family photos – Designs, drawings & paintings by the family – Works by artists closely associated with the family – Victor Prouvé, Gaston Goor, Geo Conde – Several lots of glass photographic plates documenting the ceramic works – Photographs of the important Luneville Faience.

I am so fortunate that I happened to stumble upon this rare event! I purchased my first Frères Mougin vase 25 years ago. It was my introduction to French ceramics: an introduction that has led to an exciting world of exploration and discovery. There will always be a special place in my heart for the Famille Mougin.

Certificates of Attribution!

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A recent painting listed at auction stated that the successful bidder would receive a Certificate of Attribution. Really? What does this mean? My recommendation? THINK TWICE BEFORE BIDDING!

When purchasing artworks you may wish to read the following information which is readily available on several websites:

This is the conventional way of describing the relation between the artist and the work of art.

  1. Pablo Picasso: The auction house believes this is an original work by the artist
  2. Pablo Picasso (replica): The auction house believes that the artist him/herself made this work as a replica of their own, previous original.
  3. Pablo Picasso (attributed to): The auction house finds it likely that this is an original work, but is not prepared to guarantee this.
  4. Pablo Picasso (his studio): The auction house believes that the work was made in the artist’s studio and possibly under their supervision.
  5. Pablo Picasso (his circle): The auction house believes that the work was made by another artist but during the lifetime of the named artist and in their manner.
  6. Pablo Picasso (follower of): The auction house believes that the work was done in the manner of the named artist, during their lifetime or later.
  7. Pablo Picasso (in the manner of): The auction house believes that the work is done in the manner of the named artist but after their lifetime.
  8. Pablo Picasso (after): The auction house believes that the work was made by another artist, based on an original work by the named artist.

Research! Research! Research!

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Recently I discovered a vase at auction at Salle de Ventes Saint-Job in Belgium described as “Vase Art-Déco: Grès émaillé vert, décor en relief d’un couple de sirènes, monogrammé sous la base RB, H: 30, diam: 26 cm“, which translates to “Art Deco Vase: Green enameled sandstone, relief decoration with a couple of mermaids, monogrammed under the base RB, H: 30, diam: 26 cm”. The vase had an auction estimate of 300-400 Euros. The vase was similar to a vase that I had seen by Rene Buthaud so I decided to research further… It could be an amazing find!

Green Vase Sold as Rene Buthaud

                                               A Vase by Rene Buthaud???

According to icollector.com the same identical green vase sold at Wright Auctions for $4,750 + $950 commission on October 10, 2006 as “Rene Buthaud vase, France, c. 1940, glazed stoneware, 10” wide x 12” high. Incised signature to underside: [RB].” So far so good!

The same identical green vase sold again as Rene Buthaud at Treadway Toomey Auctions for $2900 + commission on December 02, 2007 according to LiveAuctioneers.com. Quite promising!

I then found a quite similar vase in cream sold at Heritage Auctions for $4,250 (including buyer’s premium) on October 24, 2017. However, the height was 10-1/4” (25cm).   And the signature is correct for Rene Buthaud.

Rene Buthaud Vase Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auction Buthaud Vase Signature 2

Despite being sold at Wright Auctions and Treadway Toomey Auctions, two reputable auction houses, the green vase still did not appear quite correct.

The typical Rene Buthaud signature or monogram is in black ink, not incised. However, Etienne Tournier at the Musée des Arts décoratifs et du Design in Bordeaux, France confirmed that the museum has a few Rene Buthaud pieces in their collection which are indeed inscribed.

Upon closer inspection I detected subtle and not so subtle differences between the vases produced by Rene Buthaud and this passable forgery. The vase “almost” appears that is from the same mold, but in that case the vases should be identical!

The Buthaud is more precisely executed and has sharper incised details.  For example, compare the wavelike hair on both vases. The forgery is crude. The coloration and application of the glaze does not appear correct for Rene Buthaud.

The 1940 date noted in the Wright Auction does not correlate with the description in the reference Rene Buthaud 1886-1986 by Pierre Cruege, which on pages 84-85 dates two similar vases (obviously the prototype for this now apparent forgery) as 1922-1923. The height is listed as 25,5 cm (instead of 30cm). The height is correct for the vase sold at Heritage Auctions.

Pierre Cruege Reference Rene Buthaud
Reference Buthaud by Pierre Cruege

Alas, that was not the vase I hoped for…

I do very much appreciate the Salles de Ventes Saint-Job auction house for the accurate lot description which led me on this educational journey!