In this category I list recently acquired pieces of all groups and sizes for a duration of maximum 4 months after arrival, thereafter they appear in their respective sections. More images of any lot available on request. Updated 7/1/2019
A very handsome and highly decorative antique Bidjar rug with a strong centre medallion design, skilfully offset by narrow borders and ivory corner spandrels. One look at the border and you can see it was woven freestyle, not to a rigid cartoon as later examples invariably are, showing the weaver's artistic skill and imagination. In superb condition with full pile, original side cords and only marginal loss of kilim strands each end. There are a small number of minute, re-piled spots of old moth damage, now all perfected, A beautiful, hard wearing rug with excellent natural colours and rich, glossy wool.
€3200
A very beautiful DOBAG example from the private collection of the DOBAG project founder Dr Harald Boehmer, signed S.U. and dated 2006. In perfect condition.
Of the 22 recent arrivals in his collection, only 3 will be featured in this section, the entire collection now under stock heading DOBAGs.
€SOLD
In order to avoid an overload of DOBAGs under this heading I will only list a handful of the important Boehmer collection, all of which is currently being listed under the heading Current Stock, DOBAGs, where they are posted in order of size from smallest to runners. This beautiful and finely woven runner was never used by the family, instead put into safe storage for the next care taker which, I'm proud to say, is Peter Linden. This piece is dated 1998 and signed G.T.
€SOLD
This piece is part of Dr Harald Boehmer' entire private collection of DOBAG rugs, recently acquired having been offered it by the Boehmer family following his passing in 2017. He founded the DOBAG project in 1981 and created an important piece of carpet history in the process - read more on the DOBAG page on this site.
You will find the entire Boehmer collection of DOBAG rugs and runners by selecting Current Stock, DOBAGs. I will only post a few examples under this Recent Acquisitions heading to avoid overload of DOBAGs amidst my acquisitions of Antique pieces. You will find further info on this example on the DOBAG section.
€3800
A very fresh, light and attractive Sarouk carpet, featuring a traditional center medallion design on cream ground. The floral scrolls and vines are discreet and fine, leaving a lot of open space giving the carpet a calm, attractive feel. In excellent condition throughout, near full pile and free of repairs, original sides and ends. The dyes are mixed natural and non-fugitive chemical. A good and hard to find carpet, the majority of Sarouks being deep rose pink or navy blue.
€8200
Chuval was one of several hand knotted bags intended for storage of household utensils during camps in migration. They were also among the most popular dowry and wedding gifts from family and fellow tribespeople, resulting in most newly wedded Yomut families owning a collection of such bags. Only a small number would ever be used, the majority stored away and kept as valuable assets for the future.
This beautiful pair are complete and in perfect condition, their most recent owners having had them displayed on a wall as works of tribal art. Woven on goats' hair warp, finely knotted at 170/sq inch, free of repairs or alterations.
€1600 each
The is a wonderful and highly decorative example of 19th C Caucasian village rug art, epitomising all the characteristics that have made genuine, early examples globally collectible. Clear and bright colours (all natural), un-cluttered and quirky design and a very tactile handle makes Caucasian rugs easily recognisable and desirable.
The powerful border is very rare and attractive, creating a beautiful, uplifting framework for the calm red field. Note the two charming goats in the upper field. In very good condition throughout, near full pile and only a couple of minute spot repairs.
€6200
A very finely woven Bakthiari rug with a highly elegant, symmetrically arranged design, to some degree inspired by the superb and complex rugs woven in nearby Isfahan. The clear, all natural colours are typical of Bakthiar work as are most of the motifs and ornaments, yet with a knot count of almost 300/sq inch the rug it rivals the best of Persian town weavings.
In excellent condition throughout, only missing the original short end kilim at the top end, free of repairs, it's a beautiful, hard wearing and highly accomplished example of its type.
€4500
Heriz carpets have recently undergone a strong comeback in popularity, having once been the most sought after of all decorative carpets, then to fall slightly out of favour after the millennium. Today Heriz carpets are again firmly established as the ideal floor decoration in contemporary architectural settings, as well as classical, less cluttered, interiors.
Good Heriz carpets with proper natural colours are now exceedingly hard to source, especially pieces in good condition without wear or repairs. This new arrival has a beautiful range of colours, lifted by the rare ivory ground you only see in early examples. It has very slight, even wear and loss of a couple of knot rows at each short end, otherwise all original and free of repair. A very handsome carpet at a price still below their peak before the downturn.
€SOLD
This design on a genuine tribal rug is only known from Fars with a number of documented pieces woven by the Quashq'ai and the Khamseh tribes. We believe they were designed for special audience or hospitality occasions where important individuals are seated around the border probably enjoying food or tea served on tablecloths in the centre. The rugs would only be used for this purpose, placed back into storage and moth proofed after each occaision, never to be used on the floor until they eventually, generations later, were traded and exported to the West.
This is a superb example of great proportions, finely knotted and beautifully woven, with perfect natural colours in the traditional Khamseh apricots, reds and deep navy. Apart from a tiny, old repair in the centre in excellent condition, possibly having lost a few knot rows at the lower short end, otherwise flawless.
A similar example from the Zidell Sedlin collection was offered at SNY in March 2009, # 40.
€SOLD
This remarkably well kept runner is not only highly decorative with its crisp drawing and wonderful natural colours - it is also an evocative, charming piece when you take a closer look at it. The two short end borders, especially the lower one, reveal human figures - men and women - dressed differently and with individual features. It's quite likely this was either an important family gift, or part of dowry, also explaining its superb condition with full pile and no repairs. There are 1-2 knot rows missing all around but the ends and side cords have been professionally stopped and overcast. A lovely, rare thing that would brighten up any space in a home.
€SOLD
I always knew that DOBAG rugs were hugely superior to anything else woven in Turkey, if not the Orient, today. The thoroughly researched natural dyes, the hand spun winter wool and the exceptional quality of weaving has now proved to be outstanding. This rug has been in constant use for almost 30 years and now, after a good cleaning, it has acquired a patina and glow reminiscent of antique Caucasian rugs. If the next caretaker looks after it well, it will survive for generations to come, and look better as it gets older. Signed S.Y. by the weaver.
€1900
The Quashq'ai are a Turkic tribe originally inhabiting Azerbaijan in north-west Persia, gradually moving southwards over the centuries to their current homeland of Fars. Very few migrating nomadic Quashq'ai still maintain a nomadic lifestyle, the vast majority having settled over a century ago around the city of Shiraz.
The 19th Century weavings produced by the tribe prior to settling down were of outstanding quality and artistic merit, undoubtedly the finest of all Persian tribal rugs. This is a genuine example from that time, exquisitely drawn from the weaver's memory, worked "freestyle", i.e. without any pre-drawn design charts, the result being a unique rug filled with her own quirky, charming details. Only natural dyes were used, impervious to light and water, meaning the rug won't lose its colour, nor run if exposed to water.
The rug is in superb, original condition throughout, complete with ends and side cords, in full pile and free of repairs. A rare and very beautiful collector's rug that ideally should be displayed on a wall as a true work of rug art.
€SOLD
An early example of the popular Bakthiari design known locally as "keshti" (lit. checkered) and in the rug trade as garden design. The charming, spontaneous drawing reflects the weaver's imagination, picking different garden motifs for each square, all haphazardly arranged. The natural colours have softened beautifully over the years, the rug now alive with decorative character and atmosphere.
Finely knotted, the rug has very slight but even, overall wear, free of repairs and with its ends and sides intact. The three outer guards are drawn in the sequence and colour of the Persian/Iranian flag, a rare feature I have not come across before.
€SOLD
Few Persian tribes rivalled the powerful Quashq'ai in terms of fineness of weave, choice and quality of colours and also refinement of design. This piece is highly characteristic of their late 19th C work, with a knot count of almost 160/sq inch which gives it a wonderful, supple handle. The range of colours is astonishing for such a small weaving but this type of bag was often woven as an important part of dowry, aiming for the highest quality.
In very good condition with only a tiny amount of repiling, mainly the one ivory line at the lower end. A beautiful thing at a bargain price in today's international rug market.
€SOLD
This is one half of what once was a large double bag (khorjin), basically intended for storage of blankets and utensils but more often woven with exceptional care as part of dowry or important gifts. Knotted at around 135 knots pr square inch, with inlaid details in rare colours like yellow and green, the weaver clearly set out to create something special. Its perfect condition confirms that it was never used for travel or storage, rather kept as an important piece of dowry. For the past decades it has been displayed as a work of art on the wall.
For similar examples, see J. Boucher, Baluchi Woven Treasures, Plates 34 & 35. Please note the two grey circle forms are mere light reflections during photography.
€SOLD
