Buyer Beware

"Buyer beware." 

An old phrase cautioning people to not make snap judgments when purchasing items. Nowadays it's especially applicable to online auction and sales sites. You have pictures to look at, and can usually ask a few questions of the seller, but in the end, you don't really get a chance to examine it until it's in your hands.

Saturday while doing research on The Trail of the Painted Ponies, I found several "buyer beware" so-called Hagen Renaker dogs.  (Dogs and ACEO pics are from eBay.)

The paint job around this piece's eyes clued me in right away that this was not a Hagen Renaker.

A brown horizontal stripe across the dog's face?  Sloppy red paint on the ruffle around its neck? Not a real HR.

The tail hole is incorrect, too.

The correct tail hole on my Hagen Renaker dog.

Another duo listed as Hagen Renakers. Neither of them are.

These two are the real deal. I bought them from Nancy Falzone years ago.

I do have a Shiken imitation HR in my collection. Look at the difference between the real HR on the right and the Shiken (a Japanese company) on the left.

There is a big size difference, for one thing. The paint on the Shiken is actually very well done. It's a piece I am glad to have in my collection.

See the color difference in the white? The Shiken pup is bone china; the Hagen Renaker is not and has a warmer tone as a result.

The Hagen Renaker's face has some brown blended in on its forehead and nose

rather than a stripe. The imitation also has eyebrows that the HR does not.

Honestly, I hadn't realized just how nice my Shiken imitation was until I saw those others on eBay.

But the dogs weren't the only questionable things I found. Look at this next piece:

Look familiar? 

Yeah, to me, too. I've got this pair in both white and palomino in my china cabinet

I did some research and found the rules for ACEO (Art Cards, Editions, and Originals).

The seller acknowledges that it isn't an original painting. But the line, "or limited edition prints created by the artist" gives me pause. It's that word "created" that may be the loophole or wiggle room here. 

Photo from Google Images.

Perhaps he or she created that picture using online pictures of the set? They are very easy to find. Is that considered copying? Or would that be like having something posed on the table and ready for you to paint a picture of it?

I honestly don't know the answer to that. But, I see a copy of Breyer's work when I look at that auction. That card will not be added to my circus horse and pony collection as a result. 

It just doesn't seem right to me.

Is a Fake a Find?

Want to win the model horse shelves from Bobbie Allen at Horse Tender Studios? Send your name and mailing address to me at horsiemama8@gmail.com before 11:59 PM on Saturday, January 8!

Years ago, collector and antique dealer Christina Dils gave some advice on her blog and suggested that collectors should look at the top shelves and the bottom shelves, not just the middle ones, when out looking for HSOs.

 It was good advice and I have had several good finds as a result of applying it. Just recently I applied Christina's advice and found this piece.

I happened to look up at a shelf as I walked past and saw this beautiful Lippizaner performing the courbette. "Oh, my gosh!" I gasped. "Is that what I think it is?"

I stood on tiptoe and carefully lifted it down so I could look at the piece. According to the label it was an Augarten! My first!! 

But I began to wonder if it might be something else after I got it home and unwrapped it for pictures.

Would an Augarten have skewed nostrils? Surely not.

I took a photo of the mark under the base and googled the history of the company's stamps.

Hmmmm, the mark was right, but the more I looked at the piece, the more I realized that it did not feel the way a fine porcelain would feel.

It was lighter and when I flicked a finger against it, made the same "thunky" sound similar to the sound some of my Japan chinas make when tapped.

Googling the actual piece answered my question. Augarten Lippizaners have gold bells in their manes and tails and the rider is more refined and has his head tilted down more than mine.

So, I had a fake, an imitation. I was disappointed but I wasn't angry or upset.

My three favorite breeds of horses are Appaloosas, Tennessee Walkers, and Lippizaners. This Lippizaner is still a nice piece, skewed nostrils and all. 

It may be a fake, but I like it and it's staying in my collection.