11/11/19 Snowflakes melting in a blaze of Red Fire !
11/11/19
Sotheby’s , London’s , “Rugs and Carpets of a Connoisseur” scheduled on Nov. 27th is now live “on the line” for your viewing education at this very moment ?
After multiple excursions through the auction inventory my first thoughts are this , Ms Coulter and the Sotheby’s rug dept. are ‘swingin’ for the fences with this little adventure into the rug marketing hemisphere .
As far as the selection goes it includes 116 total lots of a little bit of everything from a “single collector” thats trying to attract pretty much everyone interested in oriental rugs of any type !
That said the outcome of this sale is a little in doubt for me . Many of the better lots in the sale have been through the rug auction market in the last few years already and i wonder if todays rug collecting public will accept the recent retreads even if some are at lower levels ?
One other thing worth mentioning is that the sale inventory is loaded will better items , of which some come with fairly aggressive pre- sale estimates , but some may be a little more in the realistic realm. The pre-sale estimates are really kinda all over the place in this offering.
My final notion is this an impressive offering except for the fact that so many of the best pieces are well known to the market already which could easily hurt the sold total .
All in it’s a fairly flashy selection except for the fact it’s lacking fresh to the market items . With that i hope it turns out well for Ms Coulter and staff !
No matter how you look at it a production like this still a lot of work , so “Good Luck” to them!
11/12/19
11/13/19
11/14/19
Henry’s Auktion House , Mutterstadt , Germany is having a rug , carpet and textile sale on Dec. 14th that features 380 lots that includes a little bit of every type of oriental weaving your little heart could “desire”.
Like most sales in Germany these days most of the items in the group are late and in German / very good condition.
As you might also expect with this type of sale after more than a few passes through the sale inventory i did not find much that would get the international Rug- Mob or myself worked up , just a large selection of late pieces aimed straight at the European retail market .
To be unbiased there are a modest number of older items . Unfortunately nothing particularly important , maybe just a cut above the majority of pieces in the sale on the scale of collectability.
In the end this is for the most part a large but rather ordinary , uninteresting rug auction but it’s still worth a quick look if your a rug and textile aficionado !
A few lots i felt were sort of interesting are posted below , all for different reasons .
Lot # 105 , Pao Tao rug. Pre-sale est. € 2,1- 3,200.00 . In a twisted way it reminds of the Previous POTUS in a space helmet !
Lot # 150 , Early fragment , ( Tibetan ) ? Pre-sale est.€ 550-1,200.00 . My favorite lot in the sale .
Lot # 247 , Arabachi ensi . Pre- sale est. € 7-8,500.00 . Nice looking but tricky with all the cochineal pile ?
11/15/19
11/16/19
Happy A.A.C. Day , now on with the sale outcome .
First up these are “Invaluable” unaudited results .
Out of the 31 lots offered only 4 failed to find new homes . A sold percentage of right at 85 %. Granted this was a very small offering but the pieces were for the most part of a higher level .
Not too much in the way of upside action but a couple of pieces did pop up a little , lot numbers , 9 , 22 and unexpectedly from where i sit # 28 which did take off a bit but thats about it as far as excitement goes .
Concerning the two items i featured in the sale review both sold .
Lot # 13 , Sarkisla rug . Pre- sale est. € 20-30,000.00 . Sold for € 25,000.00 , right in the zone .
Lot # 19 , Transylvanian prayer . Pre- sale est. € 20-30,000.00 . Sold for € 30,000.00 . Nice but i thought this piece might do a bit better !
My final thought is this , Mr Langauer and staff should feel pretty good about the outcome of this excursion.
Hat’s off to you !
12/17/19
Your Sunday Kivo !
“Unwanted” , Dog o the week !
Boo Yah ! , Dimi’s born stupid and “git-tin” worse by the minute ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Caca free week , but don’t worry i am sure that will change soon ?
Movie o the week , Margin Call , 2011.
Song o the week, Crobot , Low Life on Motherbrain , 2019.
Tweet Read More
11/3/19 Running smack into gods speed !
11/3/19
Starting the new week we have the next offering from Udo and the gang at A.A.C.
My first thoughts on this sale is it’s a totally different direction for the A.A.C. crew than their previous 7 auctions they have staged this year. This time around the production inventory consist of 31 lots of high end rugs , carpets and textiles from an Austrian private collection scheduled on Nov. 16th at their Vienna gallery .
After a few passes through the sale selection i have to say there is not much in the way of a clunker in the whole group . I am not familiar with a couple of the textile lots but generally speaking the assortment is pretty high quality across the board , in my humble opinion , of course !
Next , Mr Langauer has done a good job in not going overboard with the pre- sale estimates and starting point’s which should spark international Rug- Mob interest in the sale itself.
There you have it . A modest in size offering of for the most part top shelf items at the tail end of the fall 2019 rug auction season to make things interesting and create competition. So get out your check books and let the fun begin.
A couple of lots i went back to more than one time are featured below .
Lot # 13 , Sarkisla rug . Pre- sale starting point € 10,000.00 . Very reasonable for a great example but it’s not where you start its where you finish.
If anyone cares my favorite piece in the group !
Lot # 19 Transylvanian prayer rug . Pre- sale starting point € 10,000.00 . If recent history is any indicator this piece should do very well.
11/4/19
11/5/19
Well todays “Dorotheum” sale is one for the books and i have to say it turned somewhat better for Mr Matschek and the “Dorotheum” rug dept. than i thought it would . Out of the 271 total lots offered up for sale approximately 185 ended up attracting buyers . A sold percentage of right at 69%. I figured that the late age of many of the items offered and the lack of any serious , interesting collectors items would hurt the turnout at the sale but that was not the case , at least this time around . I guess the pursuit of German quality items is still alive and selling well , at least at the Dorotheum !
As for the sale itself , high tech Persian city pieces and Tibetan items sold very well and there were at least 12 nice upside pops to make the auction a little more interesting .
Unfortunately the 2 most absorbing lots included in the sale failed to attract any bidder action.
Lot # 37 , S Group main cpt . Starting bid € 38,000.00 . Unsold , perhaps to much exposure in the international Turkmen market already ?
Lot # 205 , N.W. Persian cpt. . Starting bid € 20,000.00 . Unsold , maybe to optimistic pricing for the Austrian / European rug buying public ?
That said still a pretty good outcome for the Dortheum Auction Gallery ! Kudos to you !
11/6/19
11/7/19
11/8/19
An interesting rug auction has turned up at the Dreweatt’s Auction house in Berk. U.K. on Nov.21st .
The offering consist of 47 lots from the late , great Simon Crosby’s collection.
So most of the items in the sale inventory are earlier pieces but in fragmentary condition . As stated by “Dreweatt’s” many of his most likely better pieces have been donated to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford , U.K. I knew Simon from the first conference on oriental rugs in London , 1976 and he told me his main interest was in rugs , specifically Ersari/ Beshire pieces with the boteh design and there are none in the sale inventory .
That said , all though the majority of the lots in the sale are frags. and not in the best of condition it should create a modest buzz in the “Rug Mob” universe !
One other thing worth noting . The pre-sale estimates are in my opinion very realistic !
Two lots i re-viewed numerous times are posted below .
Lot # 22, Turkmen , Saryk juval frag. Pre- sale est. £ 4-600.00 . Clearly S Group and one of the highlights of the offering .
Lot # 36 , Saryk Ensi frag. Pre- sale est.£ 5-600.00 . Pictured upside down it appears to be an earlier example and should do well.
11/9/19
Next up the “Zaleski Collection” auction scheduled on Nov.30th at Rippon Boswell , Wiesbaden , Germany .
To begin with this sale is made up of 162 lots of rugs , carpets and textiles from most every weaving area and it appears most of this group is in pretty good condition . The down side is Mr Zaleski is said to have a total collection of maybe 7-800 pieces and this is clearly a house cleaning sale to get the bulk down a bit . We have all seen the Hali articles and none of the more important items are included in this sale , as they should not be !
That said after multiple excursions through the sale inventory i see that there are plenty of above average but more commercial grade mid – range collectors items to consider and Mr Maltzahn has done a pretty good job of keeping the pre- sale estimates at least mostly in the ballpark.
I personally did not see a whole lot of items that appealed to my collecting sense personally but a small handful of lots that stuck with me a bit are featured below.
Lot # 3 , Shahsavan bag face . Pre- sale starting point € 1,200.00 . The one lot in the complete sale inventory that appealed to me most !
Lot # 28 , Baluch prayer rug . Pre- sale starting point € 1,800.00 . Unimportant , but a nice face !
Lot # 91 , Sarab mat . Pre-sale € 1,800.00 . Quirky , cool !
On a personal note i crossed paths with Mr Z. a couple of times in the NYC rug market and did not find him to be the most pleasant person i have ever met . But that is neither here “nor” there in this case !
11/10/19
Heading straight into the end of the fall 2019 rug auction season only one more possibly important sale to look forward to.
Mark your calendar’s , Dec. 5th , Grogan’s , Boston , Ma . Not much in the way of details on this one yet by the crafty Mr Grogan !
Don’t forget your Sunday Kivo !
Dog o the week !
Yo , Dimi’s what’s it like to be dumb as a stump and know the woodchuckers commin ? Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , The Mule ,2018 . 3.5 poopsickles out of 5. What was C.E. thinking ? Anybody who’s been around the block knows this is B.S. !
Movie o the week , The Girl in the Spiders Web, 2018.
Song o the week , Dirty Honey , When i’m Gone on Dirty Honey , 2019.
Tweet Read More10/5/19 , When the Reaper comes a call- in !
10/5/19
We start the new week with an interesting announcement from Micheal Grogan and Groganco , Boston ,Ma.
They are planing a special Winter, Rug Textile and Carpet auction on Dec. 5th and are now accepting offers to consign so here is you big chance , get to work !
10/6/19
R.I.P , Peter Edward “ Ginger” Baker , legendary drummer for the one and only English rock band Cream , Blind Faith and many others ! I new him a bit from his time in Cali. when he was with “Masters of Reality” and contrary to most opinions he was a pretty cool guy to be around . Make no mistake your legend will live on through your music for all of time!
10/7/19
1/8/19
10/9/19
10/10/19
Well what do you say , what you know ? just this !
Udo and the gang at A.A C. are once more back in the game with what is their 7th sale of the year , titled “Collectors Rugs” scheduled on Nov. 2nd in their Vienna gallery . This sale consist of 231 total lots of all types of rugs , carpets and textiles and features many lots from the noted German/ Persian dealer Siawosch Azadi .
Well after multiple passes through the sale inventory my first impression is it’s over loaded with low end and beginner Turkmen items. I am somewhat framilar with many of the better Azadi pieces and none of them are included in this offering . It appears to just the left over shop inventory , hence the “ no reserve” feature .
As for the none Azadi items there is just not much of anything to get the serious collectors in the “Rug- Mob” excited just mid – range stuff ! How ever if your on a budget or a bargain hunter this maybe another opportunity for you to blow some cash and piece up a mediocre piece at an inexpensive price !
One positive note the pre- sale starting are again on the conservative so there could be an opportunity lurking in the group !
To be fair 2 lots i thought were slightly more interesting are featured below.
Lot # 125 Saryk juval . Pre- sale starting point a very realist € 240.00 . Although damaged it should do much better .
Lot # 172 , Serab Mat . Pre- sale starting point € 400.00 . More decorative than collectable but a very snappy face !
10/11/19
10/12/19
Any given Sunday !
10/13/19
10/14/19
10/15/19
10/16/19
10/17/19
10/18/19
On deck now for your viewing amusement the Dorotheum , Vienna , Austria has their fall major rug , carpet and textile auction scheduled on Nov. 5th live “on the line” now . This time out Mr Matschek has assembled a collection of 271 various rugs , carpets and textiles .
Unfortunately this is for the most part a standard “Dorotheum” European , beginning collector / or retail consumer type sale inventory .
That is not say there is not quite a few better but late items in good condition to consider but if you are a serious rug collector there are only perhaps 2 lots that should possibly attract Rug- Mob attention !
One lot # 37 , the much promoted S Group main carpet . Starting bid € 38,000.00 . Not an overly aggressive starting point .
And lot # 205 N.W. Persian cpt. . Starting bid € 20,000.00 . Not necessarily collectable but in this more modern assortment sort of close to a classic look.
So there you have my opinion , a mostly late but reasonably good looking sale . Just not aimed the serious collectors market .
At any rate Good Luck” to Mr Matschak and staff !
10/19/19
10/20/19
And the there is Sun on Sunday !
10/21/19
10/22/19
Bonham’s , London held their fall “Islamic and Indian Art” sale today .
The sale did not include any rugs or carpets but did feature 7 susani’s and 7 textile lots two of which were worth a mention .
Lot # 53 . Silk Ikat panel . Sold for $ 5,691.00 including comm. To my eye , very beautiful .
Lot # 72 . Ottoman velvet panel . Sold for $ 120,323.00 including comm. I guess the Middle Eastern market is still hungry for these !
10/23/19
Today’s Sotheby’s , London’s , Art’s of the Islamic World is in the books and from an over all sold standpoint it was only modestly successful for them with a large number of unsold . There were more than a few nice upside pops but not enough to make up for the many unsold lots .
As for what did sell in the rug and textile items included in the group , 2 of 5 textiles sold and one of the two carpets .
Lot # Kurdish Garden Carpet frag which i featured in the previous sale review . Pre-Sale est. £ 7-10,000.00 . Sold for £ 56,250.00 . One of the nice upside surprises .
The other lot i featured in the earlier review . Lot # 248 , Mughal tile panel . Pre- sale est. £ 15-25,000.00 failed to sell . I figure the damage must have been a deciding factor !
One textile lot worth reviewing. Lot # 208 , Silk Samite shirt . Pre- sale est. £ 200-300,000.00 sold for £ 243,750.00 . I know nothing about this type of textile but someone out there sure does !
10/24/19
Well todays Christie’s , London’s sale , “Islamic Art” featuring oriental rugs and carpets did not turn out quite so well for Ms Broadhurst and the Christie’s rug dept. Out of 85 rugs and carpets crossing the podium only 45 ended up finding new homes. A sold percentage of right at 53%. Hardly a successful outing for then but not a complete disaster either.
Going over the sold items there were no upside pops to help the outcome , and no weaving areas rugs were weak or strong. The unsold lots were pretty much across the board .
As for the textile lots all 4 pieces offered did end up selling .
Unfortunately the 5 susani’s offered did not fair as well with only lot # 199 Shakhrisabz susani .Pre-sale est.£ 20-30,000.00 , selling for £ 40,000.00 . The only highlight of the rug and textile portion of the sale !!
As for the 2 lots i featured in the sale review one sold ,one did not .
Lot # 223 , Kurdish cpt. Pre- sale est.£ 20- 30,000.00 . Sold for £ 25,000.00 . Right in the zone and my favorite piece in the sale .
Lot # 255 , Anatolian Long Rug . Pre- sale est. £ 4-6,000.00 . Unsold , condition issues i would suspect !
My final thought on this sale is this i thought it would be more successful but many of the “better lots” did not find buyers for what ever reason so with that i say “Kudos”:to Ms Broadhurst and the Christie’s rug and textile dept. for a nice effort and better luck next time !
10/25/19
The sale ay Christie’s London of the well known collector / dealer Oliver Hoare did far better than yesterdays “Islamic Art” sale. This was a general antiques sale that included 5 oriental rugs . Out of the total 120 items offered for sale only 12 did not sell . All 5 oriental rugs did find buyers .
The on lot i reviewed in the previous blog post , lot # 68 , Silk Heraldic rug , possibly Kashan , pre-sale est.£ 25-30,000.00 sold for £ 30,000.00 . An oddity buy in some ways kinda cool !
There was one substantial upside surprise .
Lot # 71 , Tibetan Saddle rug . Pre-sale est. £ 2,5-3,500.00 . Sold for £ 9,375.00. . A surprise in that this piece has ever synthetic color you can imagine and possible color run too . I had know idea this kind of piece bring such a figure , but you learn something every day .
10/26/19
10/27/19
Mr Kearney’s fall rug , carpet and textile extravaganza at Skinner’s , Boston Gallery just wrapped up and from an items sold standpoint it turned out as i figured fairly successful for them. Out of the 370 total lots run over the podium 321 ended up attracting bidder action . A sold percentage of right at 86+% . So far the best sold percentage of the fall auction season up yo this point.
As for the sale it self things sold across the board nothing particularly weak or strong . For a change Mid- range , mediocre Caucasians held there own. Lately in other sales they had been struggling .
The one thing that was a bit of a weak sector was the Sandra Whitman collection of Chinese ,East Turkestan lots which with the somewhat aggressive pre-sale estimates did not sell well. Oh-well live and learn on that one in a choppy rug market !
There were how quite a number of substantial upside pops to bring a bit of excitement to the sale. A few of the prominent are listed below .
LoT # 117 , Konya Yastick
Lot # 128 , Kazak prayer rug
Lot # 133 , Pinwheel Kazak
Lot # 140 , Sileh flatweave carpet
Lot # 157 , N.W. Persian carpet
Lot # 160 , Bakshaish carpet
Lot # 235 , (Shirvan) Akstafa prayer rug
To name a few .
As for the 2 lots i featured in the sale review one sold , one did not .
Lot # 102 , Ningxia square . Pre-sale est. $ 1,2-1,500.00 . Unsold . Prehaps the wear held it back .
Lot # Transylvanian prayer rug . Pre- sale est , $6-7,000.00 . Sold for a well deserved $ 67,650.00 . I guess there was no condition issue on the left side . The high water point of the whole sale .
So there you have it another job well done by Mr Kearney and the Skinner’s auction staff.
Hats off to you !!!
10/28/19
10/29/19
10/30/19
10/31/19
Halloween Hi Jinx !
11/1/19
11/2/19
Underway at today’s A.A.C. sale in their Vienna , Austria gallery featuring items from the “Azadi collection” and so far the “Liveauctioneer’s” posted results are right in line with this years previous 6 A.A.C. auction results.
Up to this point items are selling but at very reasonable figures and there is nothing at all in the way of an interesting upside pop what so ever liven up the production . Stuff selling for stuff prices , bargains galore.
Well the sale just finished up and my first thoughts are These two things .
Low end Turkmens were weak and also the Chinese lots in the group did not preform well at all perhaps the worst section of the sale. Granted they were for the most part very mediocre, commercial examples to begin with but they still under preformed , in my opinion !
As for the rest of the sale itself , out of the 231 total lots offered 176 ended up finding new homes according to “Liveauctioneer’s” unaudited posted results . A sold percentage of right at 76% in line with all the other A,A.C. sales this year .
From my eye this was another middle of the road rug auction with predictable rugs but you have to give “props” to Udo and the gang at A.A.C. for staging yet another fairly successful rug auction with more to come on Nov. 16th , hopefully some higher quality pieces for a change!
As for the 2 lots i featured in the auction review both sold. .
Lot # 125 , Saryk juval frag.Pre- sale starting point € 240.00 Sold for a very reasonable € 500.00 .
Lot # 172 , Serab mat . Pre-sale starting point € 400.00 . Sold for a well deserved € 1,200.00 .
Dog o the week !
Gracia’s , M.F. ?
Dimi – craps can only get away with the stupid uninformed act for so long before it blows up in their face , Cadaver beware !, Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Buried, 2010. 5 poopsickles out of 5 . Why Ryan Reynolds made this movie is a mystery to me !
Movie o the week , In the Valley of Violence , Beware when you cross paths with vengeance !
Song o the week, The B’zz , Get up Get Angry on Get Up , 2004 .
Tweet Read More9/3/19 , Disillusioned in the Lap of Luxury !
9/3/19
A day late and still short of fresh rugdumb news !
9/4/19
9/5/19
9/6/19
9/7/19
An other Kivo Sunday !
9/8/19
9/9/19
9/10/19
9/11/19
9/12/19
9/13/19
Sad but not unexpected music world news today .
You are with God now .
The great rock vocalist “Eddie Money” passed away today . Known for his hits like “Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Shakin” his memory will live on through them for all time!
9/14/19
9/15/19
9/16/19
9/17/19
Nagel Auktion Gallery , Stuttgart , Germany held their”major” fall rug ,carpet and textile sale today and it turned out to be from a rug and carpet point of view a bit of a disaster for them .
As i said in the previous sale review this was about as an uninteresting group of rugs and carpets as you can put together and the sale results tended to show that to be true. Out of the total 170 lots run across the podium only 59 ended up attracting bidder attention. A sold percentage of right at 33% , certainly not what they were looking for !
As for excitement there were a couple of good upside pops but not enough to make the sale be considered a success .
Lot # 68a , Kashan cpt . Pre- sale est. € 3,000.00 . Sold for € 12,500.00 .
Lot # 113 , Anatolian multi arch kelim . Pre- sale est. € 2800.00 . Sold for € 13,000.00 . Published M. Volkmann , 1982 .
One minor bright spot at the end sale.
There were 31 lots of rug literature included at the tail end of the sale and 19 of those lots sold so it appears there are still some folks out there trying to learn a bit about the rug and carpet world which is good .
All in all decent try by the Nagel crew, better luck next time !
9/18/19
Travel day , NYC !
9/19/19
First thoughts are the market is more fractured than ever.
9/20/19
Better than expected results on this excursion to NYC !
9/21/19
Return day , on the way home !
9/22/19
This Sunday ?
9/23/19
Via con Dios , Robert Hunter . Song writer who along with with Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead penned some of their most well known songs . A long and fruitful life, your songs will keep you memory alive !
9/24/19
9/25/19
Christie’s , London has their fall major Islamic Art sale scheduled on Oct. 24th , titled ” Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds” live “on the line” now for your viewing pleasure. This time around the rug , carpet and textile portion of the sale features 4 textile lots , 5 susani’s and 85 rugs and carpets.
Unfortunately from a collectors standpoint there are no Turkmen bags , Baluch items , South Persian trappings or sumak bags included in the sale .
There are however many many good to great pieces from all the other major weaving areas .
As usual with an L. B. production fancy city rugs and room size decorative carpets are well represented and there is a decent selection of collectable Caucasian and Turkish items a few of which are in the classic arena.
All in all up to this point in the fall rug auction Ms Broadhurst offering is the best looking sale so far , but the season is young !
A couple of lots that caught my eye are posted below.
Lot # 223 , Kurdish cpt . Pre- sale est. L 20 – 30.000.00. Decorative but snappy. .
Lot # 255 Anatolian long rug . Pre- sale est. L 4 – 6 ,000.00. Tribal and funky ?
9/26/19
Christie’s ,London has another interesting sale scheduled on Oct. 25th featuring the collection of well known collector / dealer “Oliver Hoare” that includes 5 oriental rugs one of which is worth a mention .
Lot # 68 , silk heraldic rug , possibly Kashan, early 20th. Pre -sale est. L 25- 30,000.00. A stiff estimate but a very unusual piece and it will be interesting to see where it lands ?
9/27/19
9/28/19
Udo and the gang at A.A.C. held what must their 6th rug and carpet sale of 2019 today and although not quite as positive a result as their last few sales still a pretty good outcome at this transitional time of the year . This offering featured the “Sailer” collection so it included a number of items other than rugs and textiles .
The rug, carpet and textile portion of the group consisted of 124 lots of all types items and from the “Liveauctioneers” unaudited posted results it appears 86 pieces found new homes. A sold percentage of about 70%. Slightly less than the previous A.A.C. outcomes this year but still fairly successful .
I did not think much of the overall rug / textile selection at first , thinking it included a few good items with a lot of leftover filler type items but there were a few pieces that caught my eye and faired well and they are featured below .
All said another good job by Udo and staff , keep up the good work !
Lot # , Saryk juval frag. Pre-sale est. ? € 8-1,200.00 . Sold for € 13,000.00. unless this is a typo ? A frag. of a pretty good juval. . 
Lot # , 153 , Hezar Jerib . Pre- sale est. € 30-40,000.00. Sold for € 34,000.00 . A surprise to me as i am not familiar with this type of weaving at all ! However you learn something new every day that keeps this business interesting !
Lot # 211 , Chodor juval .Per-sale est. € 1–1,500.00 . Sold for € 2,600.00 . Someone might have got a pretty good deal on this one !
9/29/19
Sotheby’s , London is also in the game now with a sale titled ” Art’s of the Islamic World ” scheduled on Oct. 23rd . Not much in the way of items for the rug and textile crowd with only 5 textile lots and 2 pile carpets , one of which is fairly interesting .
Plenty of “cool” Islamic artifacts to consider, if thats your area of interest !
Two lots that seemed like they were worth a line are posted below .
Lot # 232 , Kurdish garden cpt. frag . Pre-sale est. L 7-10’000.00 . Scarce theses days.
Lot # 248 , Mughal tile panel . Pre-sale est. L 15-25,000.00. Pretty snappy !
9/30/19
10/1/19
10/2/19
10/3/19
10/4/19
To end the week we have Skinner’s , Boston, Ma’s “fall” major rug and carpet extravaganza scheduled on Oct. 27th live ” on the line “at this very moment.
This time out Mr Kearney has assembled a total of approx. 370 lots of all manner of rugs , carpets and various textile items .
After multiple passes through the entire sale inventory my impression is it’s a wide and varied group . Some pretty good pieces , a large selection of “middle of the road” lots and a modest amount of filler pieces . Unfortunately nothing in the way of a clear cut , top shelf collectors item to get the “rug-mob” buzzing .
One good thing about this sale, Mr Kearney has kept the pre-sale estimates on most all the pieces on the conservative side except for a hand full of Chinese / Khotan pieces from a fairly well known dealer which in my opinion might hold them back a bit but , who knows ?
All in , ‘plenty” of things to ponder so it’s well worth your time to take a close look , who knows you might see something that fits into your collecting budget !
I couple of lots i went back to more than once are posted below .
Lot # 102 , Ningxia mat . Pre-sale est. $ 1,2-1,500.00 . Nice but not important . 
Lot # 115 Transylvanian prayer rug . Pre-sale est. 6-7,000.00 . Beware the left side on this one ?
Dog o the week ! a 2 fer !
One has to wonder if todays “Monumental Change” ends in a dismal failure will the “Cadaver and her crew” man up and take full responsibility ? , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , nothing particularly bad lately !
Movie o the week , Hunter Killer , 2018. I don’t particularly like submarine movies but but this is easily the best one i have ever seen!
Song o the week , Eddie Money , Shakin’ on No Control , 1982 .
Tweet Read More8/26/19 , One short mis-step from Oblivion ?
8/26/19
Still stuck in the 2018 doldrums !
One update worth a line .
Rippon – Boswell is now on the boards with a Major Autumn sale scheduled on Nov. 23rd at their Wiesbaden Gallery .
8/27/19
Since it’s so slow i am gonna try something different !
The week in photos in my “opinion” to keep the drive alive ?
To start with !
Unfortunate news in the racing world.
Via con Dios ,Jessi Combs perished today following a crash while trying to break her own Woman’s land speed record of 477.59 mph . You passed doing what you loved and will be remember for it !
The lack of activity just burns me up ?
8/28/19
8/29/19
You know the drill on this one ?
8/30/19
Tragically more unfortunate news from the racing world !
Rest in Peace , Anthoine Hubert , Formula 2 driver passed away in a crash today at Spa – Francorchamps 2019 Formula 2 championships prior to Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix . Far too young at 22 years of age.
TGIF !
9/1/19
9/2/19
Labor Day HyJinx !
Eye’s on !
Dog o the week .
Sorry folks , it’s holiday weekend but i for one am sick and tired of bad news on all levels day in and day out ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Bohemian Rhapsody , 2018. 3 poopsickles out of 5 . Yes i am aware it’s a good cast and well made movie but it ‘s just not a good portrayal of the great Freddie Mercury , in my humble opinion !
Movie o the week , Hitsville – The Making of Motown , 2019 . This one’s a real winner !!!
Song o the week , Amon Amarth , Raven’s Flight on Berserker , 2019 .
Read More7/29/18 , Don’t look now but it’s a life changing moment !
7/29/18
With nothing in the way of fresh news to report just ‘tryin’ to keep the spirit alive !
7/30/19
7/31/19
8/1/19
8/2/19
8/3/19
Sad news today !
Via con Dios , Cliff Branch . 3 time Super bowl champ with the Oakland Raiders , XI , XV and XVIII . Four pro bowl appearances in his 14 year career and one of the truly great flash wide receivers of all time . You are missed but never forgotten !
8/4/19
Sunday something ?
8/5/19
8/6/19
8/7/19
First up on deck , so far .
Nagel Auction , Stuttgart , Germany with their Rug , Carpet , Textiles and Islamic Art Sale scheduled on Sept.17th.
Well after a few passes through the sale inventory if your a serious rug or textile collector your gonna be sorely disappointed in this selection . Nothing at all in the way of an interesting or important piece to stroke the fire in the whole group .
Don’t get me wrong on this , if your into good late German condition items this just may be the sale for you. But otherwise you might jusr take a quick look through the catalog to be sure then forget about it .
Sorry just another boring European retail type offering !
8/8/19
8/9/19
8/10/19
8/11/19
Sunday with the Pres !!! A Walmart best seller .
8/12/19
8/13/19
8/14/19
8/15/19
Mid August auction data update for the coming fall season .
First up , to this point .
Dorotheum , Vienna , Nov. 5th . No details yet . !
Austria Auction Co , Sept. 27th . The Sailer Coll.
Bonham’s , London Oct. 22nd . Islamic Art ?
Sotheby’s , London , Oct. 23rd . Islamic Art ?
Christie’s , London , Oct. 24th . Islamic Art , with rugs ?
Skinner’s Boston , Oct. 27th . Major Fall rug and carpet sale .
Grogan , Boston , Dec. 5th . rugs and carpets .
8/16/19
8/17/19
8/18/19
Teenage hyjinx with A.O.C. !,
8/19/19
8/20/19
8/21/19
8/22/19
Mid week distraction !
8/23/19
8/24/19
8/25/19
And then there is This , Happy Sunday ?
Dog o the week
For all intents and purposes it appears “the squad” and the Dimi’s are willing to crash the stock market and destroy the economy in an attempt to keep the President from being re-elected , nice move on your part ! , Sheik Frederich, 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Aquaman , 2018. 3 poopsickles out of 5 . Honestly , i tried to like this movie but it just kept getting stupider and stupider !
Movie o the week , Algiers , 1938 .
Song o the week , Kenny Rodgers & The First Edition , Just Dropped In ( To See What Condition My Condition Was In ) on Kenny Rodgers & The First Edition , 1968.
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7/8/19 , Feel the Burn ? , Dowse the Flame !!
7/8/19
Nothing but nothing in the dog days of slow summer !
7/9/18
So far this is what i have come up with for the start of the fall rug season , not much yet !
Dorotheum , Vienna , Austria has a sale scheduled on Sept. 10th
Nagel , Stuttgart , Germany has a sale scheduled on Sept. 17th .
Christie’s , London has their fall sale scheduled on Oct. 24th .
That’s , that for now but i am sure there is far more to come.
7/10/19
7/11/19
7/12/19
7/13/19
7/14/19
Sunday hyjinx !
7/15/19
7/16/19
7/17/19
7/18/19
7/19/19
Sad news today !
R.I.P. , Rutger Hauer actor supreme , known for his famous role as the one and only Roy Batty in the science fiction classic “Blade Runner” , 1982 . Gone but never to be forgotten !
7/20/19
7/21/19
More Sunday mischief !
7/22/19
7/23/19
Hot and humid !
7/24/19
7/25/19
7/26/19
7/27/19
7/28/19
Have a peaceful Sunday !
Up to this point little or no fresh news in the stalled and stagnant rug universe !
Dog o the week
Number 1 canine in D.C. !
The wrong memories can by life threatening ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Hotel Artemis , 2018. 4 poopsickles out of 5 . Dumb at best , what was Jodie Foster “thinkin” on this one , payday perhaps ?
Movie o the week , Senna , 2010. The story of the life and tragic death of 3 time Formula One champion Ayrton Senna . A great but also very sad story and a must if your a racing fan !
Song o the week , Nina Simone , Save Me on Silk and Soul , 1967 .
Read More6/17/19 , WWW. Bring back the Shah. com !
6/17/19
slow very , very slow !
6/18/19
6/19/19
“Wannenes” Art Auctions , Milano, Italy held their specialized rug and carpet sale today that featured 89 various items but unfortunately it did not prove to be a particularly successful production for them . According to “invaluable’s” unaudited , posted results of the 89 total lots offered only 34 ended up attracting bidder attention . A sold percentage of right at 39%. Far from the outcome i am sure they had hoped for . Granted this was a fairly small offering but a poor result is still a disappointment as far as i can see.
There were however a couple of nice upside pops , lot #’s 42 and especially # 81 but not nearly enough to turn the outcome around . Lot # 58 also sold well .
That as they say is that !
So , hats off to the “Wannenes staff” on a Nobel effort and better luck next time !
6/20/19
Bravo ! U.S. Woman’s Soccer Team on their 2 , nil victory over Sweden today . Keep the rock keeps rollin !
6/21/19
On any given Sunday !
6/22/19
Well Udo and the gang at A.A.C., Vienna Austria just booked in another fairly successful venture today .
As far as the full sale goes , out of the total 172 lots offered approximately 130 ended up selling according to “Liveauctioneer’s” posted and unaudited results. A sold percentage of right ay 75% , inline with their other 3 sales earlier this year.
As for the split sale inventories the Pre- Columbian / Bolivian selection did far better than i thought it would . Out of the 59 lots offered 44 sold and the “reserve technique tie dyed” pieces in the inventory sold very strong . On the other hand the Bolivian coca bags were very weak . They are just not popular these days like they were 25- 30 years ago.
Concerning the rugs and carpets in the second portion of the sale out of the 113 items on the block 86 found new homes .
A couple of things worth mentioning .
For a change Caucasian pieces held there own but Turkish kelim fragments were on the weak side . Perhaps to many passed through the markets lately?
Also nothing at all in the way of a serious upside pop to excite the international Rug-Mob .
Just another workman like result for Udo and the gang at A.A.C. . That said keep up the good work !
6/23/19
6/24/19
Once again , Bravo to the Woman’s Soccer Team today on their 2 , 1 victory over Espana . The streak lives on !
Hali Fair , 2019 . Out the gates and up and “runnin” . Good Luck and good Time”s to all who attend !!
6/25/19
6/26/19
6/27/29
6/28/19
A well deserved “Bravo” to the U.S.Woman’s Soccer Team on their 2 , 1 victory over France today . Onward to the quarters !
6/29/19
6/30/19
That’s a wrap for the Hali fair and from what hear it went pretty well !
Fairly strong turnout and some exhibitors did reasonably well , some not so much but from what i understand everybody had a good time which is all you can hope for so , Cheer’s to them one and all !!!
7/1/19
7/2/19
Another Big win for the U.S. Woman’s Soccer Team with a 2 , 1 victory over England and a trip to the finals , Bravo !
7/3/19
7/4/19
The rock rolled on in “Costa Mesa” today in a big way !
Happy 4th of July anyway !!!
7/5/19
More and heavier “Rockin” in Costa Mesa today !!!
7/6/19
7/7/19
And there you have it , U.S. Woman’s Soccer Team are “world cup champs” today with a 2 , nil victory over the “Netherlands Team”, in Lyon , France . What more can you say” , win-in is great !
DOG o the week
Chillin on a holiday weekend !
Dimi’s , party of “people” who spit or scream at other humans when they are out in public , Progressive really progressive ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019 .
Shitty movie o the week , Bad times at the El Royale , 2018. 3.5 out of 5 poopsickles . Not really bad but jumbled and it drags .
Movie o the week , The Missing , 2003. ,
Song o the week , Seasons of the Wolf . Drifter on Last act of Defiance , 2018.
Read More5/30/19 , The race down the road to mental freedom ?
5/30/19
Smack in the middle of the summer slow down !
Bruun Rasmussan , Bredgade ‘s Auction House in Copenhagen , Denmark held their general antique sale yesterday and as far as the rug and carpet portion of the sale goes they posted mixed results . It’s no surprise the room size and decorative rugs attracted the most bidding attention.
However the 2 items i featured in the previous sale review , lot #’s 349 Susani and # 404 Tekke Khalyk both failed to find buyers . This was a surprise to me but thats the way it goes sometimes !
5/31/19
More bad news in the music world .
Via con dios , Rock music “innovator” Roky Erickson . Founding member of the legendary “13th Floor Elevators “ and Roky Erickson and the Aliens . You created a unique sound that inspired many modern day rock musicians and your sound will continue to inspire for the eternity!
6/1/19
Summer’s here !
6/2/19
6/3/19
6/4/19
6/5/19
6/6/19
Another major loss in the music world !
R.I.P. , Dr Malcolm “John” Rebennack jr . “The Night Tripper” . New Orleans “sound” legend . You played with literally everyone worth playing with in the blues , boogie-woogie world and are already missed ! Have some heavenly “gumbo” fo me !
6/7/19
6/8/19
Henry’s Auktionhaus , Mutterstadt , Germany just finished up their late spring “ major” rug and carpet sale today and i have to say it turned out somewhat better for them than i thought it would but they have been on a bit of a roll lately !
Out of the 442 total lots passed over the podium only 130 failed to attract bidding attention according to “liveauctioneer’s ” unaudited posted results which can of course be flawed . A sold percentage of right at 70% , is very good considering the quality of the sale inventory. As i stated in the earlier sale review it was overloaded with Chinese and Tibetan items and it’s a good thing it was as they were definitely the strong point of the whole sale. Nothing in the way of serious upside surprises but many of the Chinese and Tibetan lots sold with in the somewhat optimistic pre-sale estimates at pretty strong prices .
As its been lately the late date Caucasian carpets in good condition continue to be the weak link .
All said and done a fairly successful production once again for the Henry’s rug dept. so “kudos” to them !
6/9/19
6/10/19
6/11/19
Bravo ! U.S. Woman’s Soccer team on their 13 , nil victory over Thailand today . Historic ,
6/12/19
Udo and the gang at A. A. C. are back in the game again for like the 4th time this year with another sale titled “ Fine Antique Oriental Rugs , XVI scheduled on June 22nd at their Vienna gallery . This time around the sale inventory consist of 172 total lots that features 60 lots of Pre-Columbian textile items of all types . It appears to be a single owner collection . Unusual , but it could work .
As for the rest of the group unfortunately nothing special to get the international “Rug- Mob” buzzing. just more mediocre pieces with low starting points to garner bidding action . This however has been working for Udo and staff so if it’s not broke don’t fix it ?
Good luck !
6/13/19
6/14/19
6/15/19
6/16/19
Again , Bravo ! U.S. Woman’s Soccer team on a 3, nil victory over Chile today. Keep it up !!!
Head’s up , Udo , maybe it will bring you Luck !
Dog o the week ,
There is alway’s a dilemma somewhere you just have to watch where you step or you will find it ! Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , The Tribes of Palos Verdes . 3.5 poopsickles out of 5 . Just not very good and it drags !
Movie o the week , Quiet Storm , The Ron Artest Story , 2019.
Song o the week , 13th Floor Elevators , You’re Gonna Miss Me on The Very Best of the 13th Floor Elevators , 1966.
Dr John , Right Place Wrong Time on In the Right Place , 1973 .
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5/20/19 “Runnin” from trouble , in the wrong direction !
5/20/19
More unfortunate news to start the week !
Via con Dios , Andreas Nikcolaus ( Nicki ) Lauda . Three time Formula One champion and all time great racing legend . You are all ready missed , but never forgotten !
5/21/19
Excursion preparations underway .
5/22/19
Arrived early , but substantial traffic negates all time gains !
5/23/19
Great weather to start the day.
On the streets and everybody i meet up with is in a particularly good mood .
A few of positive items have presented themselves so far.
5/24/19
A handful of items purchased but far from a wildly successful venture on the East Coast this time !
5/25/19
Saddled up and on the way home !
But more important to the members of the international rug and carpet community todays Rippon – Boswell “ Major “ spring rug, carpet and textile sale is under way as we speak .
Now we wait for the results !
So the unaudited results are live “ on the line “ at Liveauctioneer’s now and it looks like a moderately successful outing for Mr Maltzahn and staff. Out of the 253 total lots offered approximately 102 failed to garner bidding interest . A sold percentage of about 60% .Not bad , but not great either .
On the bright side there were a few exceptional upside pops , note lot #’s 79 , 100 and of course lot number 135 !
Said and done a decent job turned in by the R.B. Staff !
Lot # 135 , “Scheibe” Holbein cpt. Pre-sale est. € 23,9- 24,000.00 . Sold for € 180.000.00 . Easily the high water mark of the sale !
As for the lots i featured in the sale review 3 sold , 1 did not .
Lot # 41, Ningxia mat . Pre-sale est. € 2,2-2,300.00 . Sold for a well deserved € 5,000.00 .
Lot # 61, Turkmen mafrash . Pre-sale est. € 5,7- 5,800.00 . Sold for € 8,500.00 and well worth it !
Lot # 88, Ningxia runner . Pre- sale est. € 8,9- 9,000.00 . Passed , condition issues ?
Lot # 142 , Yomut kap . Pre- sale est. € 3,9-4,000. Sold for € 4,200.00 . In the zone.
5/26/19
Two things to consider today !
For starters the flight home . Smooth and on time .
And more unfortunate news to report upon returning home .
Rest in Peace ! Bart Starr , legendary quarterback and coach of the Green Bay Packers and of course Hall of Famer . 2 time Super bowl winner ( 1 and 2 ) and coach for 9 years . Your accomplishments will keep your legacy alive for ever !
On a more light-er note , Awesome finish to today’s Indy 500 race !!!
5/27/19
5/28/19
5/29/19
Freeman’s Auction , Philadelphia , Pa. held their “International” sale today that included 38 various oriental rugs and carpets one of which is worth a few lines .
9:05 am Cali. time.
Well ,the wait is over and the results are in.
Even with a 15 page analysis by the legendary A.U. Pope lot # 120 only managed to sell for $ 16,900.00 all in . I really thought this piece would do much better but there were some condition issues that may have affected the outcome , or someone got a pretty good deal on a rare and unusual carpet ?
Lot # 120 , Josheghan carpet , early 19th century. Pre- sale estimate $ 10-20,000.00 . Exceptional provenance and possibly unique.
Today’s parting shot !
Henry’s Auktionshaus , Mutterstadt , Germany has a rug and carpet sale scheduled on June 8th , 2019 that features 442 total lots of all manner of items for you to consider . After multiple passes through the sale inventory my first though is it’s way over loaded with Chinese and Tibetan pieces and a few of them are easily the most interesting items in the sale .
Next , to my eye everything else in the auction is for the most part , good condition , late pieces suitable for the European retail market . Not a top shelf collectors piece in the whole sale to indulge or excite the fickle international rug- mob.
One positive note on the overall offering . The pre- sale starting points seem to be for the most party fairly realistic with quite a few apparently having no reserve , better than nothing !
My final opinion of this sale is, it’s a large group of uninteresting pieces that if you are a serious collector you don’t need to worry about unless you are interested in Chinese or Tibetan pieces .
Dog o the week ,
Here’s Lookin at Yah , Kid !
What’s it like to be “A Stranger in a Stranger in a Land” and you can’t “Find My Way Home” ? Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Beyond White Space , 2018. 4.5 poopsickles out of 5 . Lot of cute girls but incredibly stupid !
Movie o the week, Streets of Fire , 1984.
Song o the week , Georgia Satellites , Keep Your Hands to Yourself on The Georgia Satellites , 1986.
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