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A Cautionary Tale #2

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Absentee Bids, continued

I will share a personal, most unfortunate experience with an absentee bid. I am sorry to say this actually occurred and has negatively affected my trust with certain auction houses.

I placed an absentee with an auction house in France for a vase as described in the prior scenario. However, this time, I had the opportunity to watch the live auction online. The lot where I had placed the absentee bid was auctioned and sold for several hundred dollars less than my absentee bid. I was quite pleased! That is, until I received the “facture” or “bordereau” from the auction house. The invoice was 100 Euros less than the absentee bid I placed! I contacted the auction house attempting to address the situation, but, I did not receive a response. Unaware of any other recourse I paid the invoice.

After that experience I no longer submit absentee bids if the bid amount is shared with the auction house. A lesson learned…

A Cautionary Tale #1

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Absentee Bids

If you ever been unsure about leaving an absentee bid with an auction house your concern is justified. There are two ways to leave an absentee bid: 1. Place an absentee bid directly with an auction house, or 2. Place an absentee bid with a third party online bidding platform such as Interencheres, Drouot Live, Invaluable, Live Auctioneers, The Saleroom or Bidsquare.

Placing an absentee bid directly with an auction house in France is courting disaster. My experience, is that even if the live bidding realizes an auction price lower than your absentee bid the auction house will invoice you for one bid increment less than your absentee bid. For example, if you place an absentee bid for 1500 Euros for a Daum vase and the final bid onsite is 900 Euros, the auction house will invoice you for 1400 Euros plus their commission fee. Unfortunately this has happened repeatedly to me and confirmed by my French friends overseas.

My recommendation is do not place absentee bids directly with an auction house unless they confirm how absentee bids are processed.

An option is to place an absentee bid with a third party online bidding platform. This is a better option because “in most cases” the absentee bid is confidential and is not shared with the auction house. The exception that I am aware of is that an absentee bid placed on Drouot Live is shared with the auction house.

Osenat – Star of 2018!

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Osenat was one of the first auction houses where I successfully placed an online bid.  It has been years, but I remember how smooth and pleasant the transaction was and hoped that I would bid with them again.

In December 2018, I successfully bid and won two items online and again the process was seamless.  The staff are knowledgeable, personable and considerate. The condition reports I requested were in depth and thorough. Online credit payment is available   And Osenat provides in-house packing and shipping services which are exemplary.

If you want to treat yourself to a first class experience visit osenat.com.

Tips For Acquiring Art From France

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Understanding a few key French phrases is paramount to bidding on and purchasing paintings from France. Here are a few terms that auction houses may provide to guide a potential bidder. Please feel free to share your tips as well.

“Entourage de” translates to “in the circle of”. For example if lot description of a painting refers to “entourage de Camille Corot”. In their opinion a work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

“DLG” is an initialism for “dans le gout”. This is similar to “entourage de” meaning “in the manner or style of” an artist.

“Huile sur toile” or “HST” is “oil on canvas”.

“Huile sur papier contrecollé sur panneau” is “oil on paper attached to a panel”.

“Aquarelle” is a watercolor or gouache.

“Nettoyer” is dirty. I often inquire if there is surface grime on the painting which would require that the painting be cleaned after purchase.

“Craquelure” is is the fine pattern of dense cracking formed on the surface of materials and can be induced by drying, aging, intentional patterning, or a combination of all three.

“Salissures & taches d’humidité” refers to “dirt and moisture stains” which may be present on a lithograph, watercolor or print.

“Déchirure” is a tear which may be present on a canvas, lithograph, watercolor or print.

The Importance of Lot Descriptions

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Each item at auction is referred to as a lot. The description of each lot is of paramount concern for the online bidder. Some auction houses describe the condition of each lot, but most do not.  In many cases, if there is no damage, the auction house does not add the condition of the lot, choosing only to communicate any damage. Other auction houses fail to disclose damages. This is a definite advantage to attending an auction and personally inspecting each lot and a serious disadvantage to the online bidder. In the event you are the successful bidder and the lot has damages not disclosed in the description, it is your misfortune. The terms and condition of each auction house clearly state that it is the responsibility of the bidder to assess the lot condition prior to bidding. Returns are rarely accepted.

TIP: Contact the auction house prior to bidding and request a condition report. The condition report typically states that the item is in good condition and notes and damage. Additional photos, often high-resolution, are frequently provided so that you can inspect the lot more carefully.

Welcome!

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Understanding the online auction market can be challenging. This site offers helpful hints to negotiate the hurdles when evaluating lots, understanding bidding, fees, arranging shipping and resolving disputes. Welcome!

This site is a forum to share our experiences and help the novice bidder overcome the initial daunting challenges that the auction world offers.