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 20/6/2019.
A really striking Heriz carpet that no photograph can truly illustrate. The all natural colours are superb, greatly helped by the lustrous high lanolin quality wool. It also shows that charming spontaneity in drawing that sets the older pieces apart from later commercial produce.
Recently acquired from a Swedish collection, the carpet is in full pile apart from a few minute spots of very slight surface wear. The side cords and lower short end finishes are all intact, the upper short end had lost one knot row which has been replaced since photography. A great carpet of a type now rising to the levels of popularity good Heriz pieces enjoyed before the downturn.
€9250
A traditional Sarab runner with an elegant design of 5 linked medallions on light camel brown ground. The combination of ivory main border and three ivory medallions creates a very pleasing effect, a style of rug that works equally well in contemporary as well as vintage settings.
The runner has lost 2-3 knot rows at the upper short end and there are a few spots of old re-piling, other than that the piece is in good condition throughout showing only small spots of very slight surface wear. An elegant hall runner of a desirable size, at an affordable price.
€2100
An unusual rug woven by a tribe whose earlier weavings are now rare and highly sought after. Woven on cotton it is clearly a village rug but the design and choice of colours are typical Avshari. The ivory ground really offsets the beautiful shades of natural colours, notably the greens and blues, to a very pleasing effect. The stylized tree-of-life motifs filled with pairs of birds gives it a real tribal feel.
In excellent, original condition throughout with full pile and intact side cords and end finishes. Cecil Edwards in his comprehensive study The Persian Carpet of 1953 illustrates a related example attributed to the village Deh Shotoran, Pl. 277. Edwards dates his piece C. 1938, describing the weavers of Deh Shotoran as "among the best in the area".
€3200
A highly decorative Baluch piece with an unusual design, showing strong Turkoman influence in its use of Gul motifs down the centre. The border is also unusual, featuring a large variety of enclosed motifs without the usual vine or meander form. It also features small details in magenta silk pile so clearly the rug was made for a special occasion, most probably for dowry or wedding gift.
Purchased from a Swedish collection, the rug is in excellent condition, showing only small spots of slight surface wear, the original sides and kilim ends intact.
€2400
One of the best Hamadan rugs I have ever stocked, this beautiful piece is both unusual and exceptional. Woven on an all-wool foundation (most Hamadans are on cotton) with superb quality glossy wool pile, at a higher than average knot density for the region.
The rug has clearly been lovingly cared for by previous custodians, in virtually untouched condition with original ends, sides and full pile intact. Its true age is clearly visible by the abrash (dye variation) across the border and the fantastic natural colours. For related examples, see Tad Runge's excellent study of Hamadans, One Woman One Weft, pl 10 & 15.
€2900
A typical Baluch piece with a lattice grid of "mina khani" flowers inside a powerful border, woven in high quality lanolin rich wool at a high knot count of around 145/sq inch. In near perfect condition apart from small spots of slight surface wear, the original side cords and end kilims present, free of repair. Ex a Swedish collection where it has been unused for two decades.
€2200
The finely knotted, high quality rugs from Jozan are renowned for their glossy wool and excellent colours. Similar to rugs from nearby Sarouk they mainly come in medallion designs, woven with double wefts but using the symmetric knot.
Jozans are hard wearing, long lasting rugs that will survive for generations if cared for properly. This charming piece of a slightly unusual size was acquired from a Swedish collection, kept in near perfect condition by its previous custodian. Note the lovely use of sky blue rosettes against the dark field colours. The late Stockholm dealer Peter Willborg illustrates a very similar example on pl 29 in his book Hamadan.
€2400
This style of design with repeated "Memling Gul" polygons was woven in several regions of the Caucasus, mainly in the Kazak and Moghan districts. This piece is attributed to Karabagh based on its weave structure and border design. It is a most beautiful, open and striking piece with charming use of colour and space, the ivory ground clear and fresh offsetting the multicoloured polygons to their best effect.
In superb condition with full pile apart from one small area of very slight surface wear, original and complete ends, free of repair other than the side cords which have been expertly replaced. Raymond Benardout in his work Caucasian Rugs, London 1978, illustrates a similar example on p. 94 ("Kazak").
€7500
A beautiful, 26 year old DOBAG runner from a village where most women specialised in runners, an awkward and time consuming size for a single weaver. Now that the project has ceased functioning, old examples like this are collectible worldwide, the quality of the DOBAG rugs well documented and recognised. This attractive and charming runner is in perfect, original condition, full pile and no repairs, original label and certificate intact. Signed E.Y.
€2300
Apart from its high decorative merit, this runner is clearly an unusual example with a rarely encountered design. The ivory ground border lifts and frames the design very well and it has plenty of quirky elements you only see in 19th century examples. Slight overall wear, a few minor spots of re-piling and some minor restoration to the otherwise intact original side cords, all dyes natural. A striking, unusual Caucasian rug at a reasonable price.
€SOLD
This beautiful large wall bagface features a non-Turkoman design originally from Persia (known there as the Mina Khani). In its original form the tendrils are curvilinear whereas here they are straightened out in more regimented Turkoman tribal style, making it one of the rare floral designs of the Turkoman repertoire. Finely woven in excellent quality wool it also features several colours of silk in the central flowerheads - hence clearly designed for decoration rather than utilitarian tribal use.
Unusually large for its type, beautifully drawn with a particularly attractive lower panel. In very good condition it still has its original side cords, good pile and original lower end. The upper end has been rebound and there are a few minute spots of red dye run visible only from the back.
A similar example is illustrated in The Textile Museum, Washington, Turkmen tribal carpets and traditions, Pl 89.
€2900
This very smart rug was woven by one of the top DOBAG weavers whose rugs were much in demand among the half dozen DOBAG dealers around the world at the time. Finer than average, with a great feel for colour and design plus a very even, steady technique, her rugs always impressed. Now, after 17 years on the floor and carefully looked after, the rug has just been washed resulting in the characteristic glow of the lanolin rich pile. In perfect condition, signed and dated, with original documentation.
€SOLD
This short runner and a smaller rug # 9053 were originally sold to an Irish buyer in 2002. Having been well looked after and undergone a professional wash, both of them now look extremely well. Fatma Acarkoc was one of the best weavers in the Yunt Dag co-op, her rugs usually finer than average with exceptionally even, steady weave. She also understood the merit of leaving enough open space between motifs and how to achieve the best colour combinations. Signed and dated with original leather label present, in perfect condition.
€1450
A powerful, beautifully drawn carpet with stunning design, superb natural colours and thick, glossy wool pile. Early Bidjar pieces often display a great understanding of colour and design in order to achieve a pleasing impression. The busy inner field is beautifully calmed down by the open space corner spandrels, the contrasting natural colours combined to maximum effect.
In very good condition throughout, showing only small areas of very minor surface wear and some minor spots of old re-piling. The ends and sides are original and complete, the carpet set to survive for several generations to come - Bidjars are probably the most hard wearing of all Oriental carpets.
A great example of Persian carpet art deserving a much better image than seen here but its weight, and size, have temporarily limited my photo options.
€14500
Together with the Quashq'ai, the Khamseh group of tribes were the makers of some of the finest tribal rugs of all time. Genuine examples, woven while the tribes were still migrating, have not been woven since the early 20th C, the tribes long since settled into sedentary village life in Fars. The few surviving rugs are important evidence of an extraordinary tribal culture with weaving skills beyond our comprehension. Each rug was different to any other as the weavers worked entirely from memory, using only natural colours and hand spun wool.
This design is sometimes referred to as "mother-and-child boteh", featuring a large boteh form containing smaller ones of different sizes. All rugs of this period were unique, carefully woven pieces intended for dowry or highly valued gifts to the tribal leaders. They were never in daily use on the yurt floor, instead carefully kept in storage only to be displayed on special occasions.
This rare piece is in very good condition for its age, complete all around with original kilim ends and side cords, showing very slight surface wear in small spots and only a couple of minute spot repairs.
€5200
This is one of three DOBAG rugs recently brought back into stock, having been carefully looked after by its first owner and hence in perfect condition. This piece has a powerful star design on almost plain ground with a quirky star border. The pile is among the longest I have seen in a DOBAG, making it one of the heaviest I have handled. HIghly suitable for areas with heavy traffic, the rug can only improve with age with a life expectancy of several generations if looked after respectfully. Dated 2007 and the weaver has also signed it rather cleverly - take a moment and see if you can find it.
€1600
This wonderful rug features a finely knotted pile of silky "kurk" (lambs') wool, a beautifully composed design in a palette of soft, natural colours. The skills and time involved in making a rug of this quality is extraordinary - even if the weaver produced on average 5000 knots per day the weaving alone would have consumed almost 5 months. In addition you have the intricate design work (drawn separately by master designers), wool spinning, dyeing, polishing and finally cleaning. A very rare piece in today's global rug market.
€3200
Finely woven, small rugs around 1 meter square were woven by several Turkoman tribes. They are usually well above average in terms of quality, choice of wool and dyes, suggesting they were woven for a special purpose. The strongest theory is that they were given to the bride upon which she would sit, receive well wishers and accept dowry and gifts.
Several other examples are published, a very similar piece shown at the London exhibition by Bernheimer, Oriental Carpets and Textiles, 1987, plate 37. This example is in perfect, original condition throughout, incl kilims, side cords and full pile, free of repairs.
€2200
This is one of the first rugs Harald Boehmer put aside for his own collection and it has only recently become available. He was struck by the strong Caucasian influence in design, and colouring, particularly the ivory ground which offsets the other colours beautifully. Signed by four different weavers, in unused, unpolished condition, set to last for generations.
€SOLD
