Lladró sculptures are world-renowned and recognised for their beauty. The brand’s characteristic subtle expressions, strong movement and unique colours make them a favourite among many collectors, and their exquisite craftsmanship and proprietary technique also means that there are rarely fakes in the market - even if there are, it’s quite simple to tell them apart from the real Lladrós. Click here to read more about the history of Lladró.
Lladró started using an official logotype on the bottom of their pieces in 1960, but the identification mark has changed throughout the years and is not the most accurate determinant of an authentic piece (right).
With prices anywhere from USD500 to USD10,000 and beyond, these porcelain figures are in demand from keen collectors and public institutions alike. Some of the most elaborate Lladró pieces are held in museum collections for their craftmanship, design and an important mark for historical events.
But not all Lladrós fetch a good price in the resell or auction market, and with some examples below, we’d be able to look closer at why they are at such a demand and are able to realise such high resell prices.
A Grand Adventure Train Sculpture Limited Edition, sold for ~USD130,000 in September 2011.
THE VALUE WINNERS
- A Grand Adventure Train Sculpture (ref. 01001888) is a limited edition (of 500) run steam locomotive, complete with a wagon and figurines holding handmade umbrellas in gloss finish. The piece sold for ~USD130,000 at Shinwa Art Auction Co. Ltd in September 2011 at an auction in Tokyo. The retail price of the piece was at USD35,000 at time of purchase.
- Allegory to Peace (ref. 01001202), a figurine of a woman with one outstretched hand with an olive branch, and doves circling above the other, was only made between 1972 to 1973 (and retired in 1986). Only 150 pieces were made and was sold for $2,500. The resell value of this piece now surpasses $10,000, if you can find any available in pristine condition.
Allegory to Peace Limited Edition.
- Equally popular are the cultural and religious sculptures, as nobody in the market decorates with such detail as the artisans at Lladró. In 2000, Lladró launched a 1000-piece edition of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god of education, wisdom and literature, to whom prayers are said before all major undertakings. Lord Ganesha sold for $1,495. It quickly sold out (retired in 2010) and now fetch for upwards of $2,600 on the resale market.
- More recently, at an auction in Gamuda City in Hà Nội’s Hoàng Mai District in November 2019, a limited edition Kwan Yin Sculpture (ref. 01001977) was auctioned for USD174,000. The price of the piece is originally under USD15,000. That’s more than 10x the original price of the piece!
Kwan Yin Sculpture Limited Edition that was auctioned off in Vietnam.
WHAT DETERMINES THE VALUE OF LLADRÓ PIECES:
- Scale: Larger pieces tend to be more valuable, especially when it is more decorative, with detailed finishes. Bigger is better with Lladró.
- Rarity: Limited edition pieces or retired designs are usually worth more than the pieces that are newly launched. Just like the Lord Ganesha piece above, some pieces sell out from the very beginning, and then continue to be in demand through the years. Limited edition pieces have the number stamped to the bottom.
- Decoration: Elaborate and detailed pieces are more valuable as it is more difficult to duplicate and to create such a piece again. If the piece also has pieces that could easily break off, it is most likely valuable.
If you’d like to source any hard-to-find pieces, do speak to the FormFluent team and we will help you with your quest. Only a small part of our inventory is online and we do have a larger collection in-stock at all times.