2/18/19
In the midst of a cold snap in Cali things are starting to heat up in the international auction market .
2/19/19
Rippon Boswell’s 2nd installment of the “Poppmeier Coll.” scheduled on March 23rd at their Wiesbaden gallery is live “on the line” at this very moment !
Where to start with this ?
Well , i was told early on this was most likely not a group i would find particularly interesting considering the type of items i usually gravitate towards and for the most part this rings true on this collection . The sale inventory consists of 91 total lots of kelims , textiles a few pile carpets and other various ethnic textiles .
For starters this is a very eclectic assortment geared toward serious collectors , not for beginners or journeymen enthusiast at all . Items geared toward the educated and selective textile and kelim crowd .
That said , to my humble eye is a very impressive group with a lot of somewhat important and attractive although eccentric items you might be draw to if this your “cup of tea” . My opinion is Mr Poppmeier had a pretty good eye for color and design even if the piece had condition issues and many of his items are certainly in a fragmented state .
One other thing i might add . In my opinion Pt.1 of the Poppmeier Coll.is to my eye more interesting than the current selections in pt.2 but that is still just my opinion .
All said i did find a few of lots that caught my eye for more than a passing glance and it will be interesting to see how they do.
Lot # 32 , Aksaray Kelim . Pre- sale estimate , € 5-7,000.00 . Brilliant color and design.
Lot # 44 , Konya rug . Pre- sale estimate , € 6-8,000.00 . Striking appearance . My favorite piece in the sale .
Lot # 56 , Karapinar kelim . Pre- sale estimate , € 8- 10,000.00 Bold and vibrant , nuff said !
2/20/19
The first rug and carpet sale of the year at the “Dorotheum” , Vienna , Austria just finished up and it turned out to be only a moderately successful venture for them . Out of the 236 total lots run over the podium approximately 126 found new homes . A sold percentage of right at 56% . Not to be considered a flop but far from a raging success either, mediocre at best . As i stated in the previous post there was nothing included in the sale inventory to get the rug world buzzing so the turnout was to be expected .
There was also not much in the way of upside surprises either . A few lots ,2 , 69 and 142 popped up a bit but nothing really notable. As for the 5 lots i thought were sporting aggressive pre- sale starting points one # 7 , the least expensive sold , the others did not .
So there you have it a modest start to 2019 rug auction season !
2/21/19
Who will be the next in line !
Austria Auction Co. Vienna , Austria has a “ No Reserve “ rug , carpet and textile auction scheduled on March 9th at their Vienna gallery . The sale consist of 230 lots from most all the major weaving areas .
After multiple passes through the sale inventory my unbiased opinion is this .
If you are a serious rug or textile collector this group of pieces is not for you!
Once again it appears to be a Spring house cleaning sale of for the most part mid to low end pieces for the beginner , someone on a budget , a dealer looking for shop stock or someone just looking for an inexpensive “ deal “.
One other thing worth mentioning on a positive note .
Lack of reserves aside the pre- sale starting points on most all the items included in the group are very reasonable , if not cheap so like Udo’s last venture of this type this sale should do very well for him from a total items sold point !
Good Luck , Guys !
2/22/19
2/23/19
2/24/19
The “Abells Auction Gallery” quarterly sale is underway now and we should know how lot # 300 Navaho 3rd Phase chiefs blanket featured in the previous blog post , pre- sale. estimate $ 6-8,000.00 faired, shortly.
So here we go , the piece sold for $ 16,000.00 + comm . I thought it would do somewhat better but it did need perhaps $ 3-4,000.00 worth of restoration .
Sunday Sunshine , for a change !
Dog o the week .
In this day and age forming preconceived notions about someone because of their outward appearance is patently un-American and does not follow what was written in the U.S. Constitution , Bill of Rights or even worse the 10 Commandments , Dimi’s ! . Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Bruno , 2009 . 5 poopsickles out of 5. With all the Left Wing political correctness in the air these days how come no one ever complained about this unwatchable piece of C**P ?
Movie o the week , The Commuter , 2018.
Song o the week , Overkill , Welcome to the Garden State on The Wings of War , 2019.
