Gilmore Chronicles:: Oriental Carpets and Antiques

5/6/12 It’s the Impossible Dream , don’t choke Now !!!

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:37:10 +0000

5/6/12
Ready , Steady Go.
Next in line , Brimfield .
Well , O K then . The last time I went to Brimfield the weather did not play ball and it was a total rain out . I am seriously hoping for a better set of circumstances this time around. Tomorrow is travel day and it looks good . Tuesday , however appears spotty at best , but we play the cards we are dealt and that’s ,that.
5/7/12
Arrival !
The weather ,the flight, the drive and everything else is going smooth so far. Tomorrow from what I gather is a totally different situation.
5/8/12
Live from Brimfield ,Day 1 , 5 ,50 ,am.
More rain is forecast for today , this is not something I wanted to hear after the rain out last Sept.
So far the weather is holding but the sky is threatening . Pretty much the whole New England / New York rug and textile contingent is on the scene . I have not seen any other rug dealers from the So – Cal. area yet. The buying crowd in general is fairly large even with spotty weather conditions. Two major shows open today ,one at 11 am and the other at 1 pm.
11 am Dealers Choice field .
This show gets picked over before it opens by the dealers setting up inside so there’s not much of a chance for the the paying public to get a fair chance . Still if you come all the way here your check it out anyway .
I found nothing in this show myself and did not talk to anyone else who did either. Next up Brimfield Acres North. .
1 pm ,Brimfield Acres North .
In my opinion this field seems to have higher quality merchandise in general than the Dealers Choice field , so i feel there’s a better chance of finding something . The weather is getting worse .
Lots of rugs and textiles including some reasonably good items . I found one very nice village piece , not world class but for the first day a promising start. Now it’s starting to rain , time to go.
5/9/12
6 am, New England Motel show .
Certainly not my favorite field . It caters to buyers looking for “Shabby Chic “rustic interior decorator items . In all the years i have been coming to Brimfield this has been the least productive field for finding oriental rugs and ethnic art but I am here so i may as well have a look .
Once again nothing of interest . Rain was predicted but for now it’s dry .
9 am . Next up Heart of the Mart.
This has always been one of the better fields . Sprinkles and mist but no real rain. As far as exhibitors go the field is almost full and there’s a large crowd of buyers waiting to get in. Quite a few mediocre pieces scattered through out the field .Most all the rug dealers showed up for the opening but I did not see anybody carrying out any items worth mentioning.This does not mean someone did not find something nice ,i just did not see it or hear about it. For myself I did find one very nice 1880′s Caucasian carpet .
12 Noon .Hertan’s field .
Last field of the day and it’s a free for all . If your an exhibitor your not supposed to set up your booth till the bell rings at 12 noon , however some exhibitors fudge on this . Then it’s everyman for himself ,the fastest bird gets the worm .The field is picked clean of fresh items of all types inside of 15 – 20 minutes .
This one is all timing and luck ,today was not my day. One good thing the weather was passable for most of the day.
Back at it tomorrow ,”May’s ” field the big one.
5/10/12 9 pm May’s field .
Rain most of the night but about 10 minutes before the field is set to open it finally stops . The only thing is , plenty of mud every where . This is a first come first serve field so when the gate opens its another free for all and everybody has a fair chance .There was a fairly large buyers crowd but because of the rain it was only about 65% full as far as exhibitors go. Again plenty of average oriental rugs and textiles all over the field. Of all the rug hunters in attendance i saw no one who found anything of any real importance . I did not come across any rugs or textiles worth even asking the price today. Still a decent day as i always say , if you don’t go , you don’t know . Mays has always been my favorite field and i have done very well here in the past , but you certainly can’t expect to win them all. As i stated earlier i found some better pieces the first two days so for me i consider this trip successful .
That’s it for me , home tomorrow.
One more thing .
O K , Since Shahs of Sunset in not on T V till the next season i found a new favorite T V show , Worlds Dumbest Hillbillies on cable channel , Tru T V . A must see ,check it out.
5/11/12
Next up the airport Got to the airport after massive traffic . Don’t you just know i am leaving for home and it’s the best weather since i arrived here, Go Figure !,
Plenty of turbulence , but finally on the ground . Home !
Back at it tomorrow.
5/12/12
Nothing of any real importance happened in Cali. while I was gone. Tomorrow is the May edition of the Rosebowl ,let’s just see how that goes !!!!
5/13/12
Mothers Day
Nice crowd but nothing in the way of action at the Rosebowl today , at least up till the time I left. I did run into a few out of town dealers but that’s about it. ,
Back at O.C.G. now for an appointment with an out of state client. A little commerce was completed ,which is always appreciated.
On the auction front ,Auktionhaus Haus Homm posted the results from there May 12 sale in Oberursel , Germany. Out of 171 total lots of rugs and textiles offered 115 found new homes. About a 70 % sold percentage so Herr Homm did pretty well for himself , at least in the rug portion of the auction . Granted a lot of this stuff sold very cheap but sold is sold and we all know a sold rug is the best kind of rug !,,

Consider , Just when you think you have it figured out – You Don’t !!!. Sheik Frederich ,2012.

Song o the week , Iced Earth , Dark Saga on The Dark Saga 1996 .

4/30/12 Adventures in the Oriental Rug Wars ,,, Enlightening Write !,,

admin — Sun, 06 May 2012 19:00:16 +0000

4/30/12
A fresh 7 day set brings progress on all irons in the fire . Nothing new in the way of rug world news on this fine Monday but I am sure that will change as the week moves forward.
5/1/12
Hot off the press….
Rippon – Boswell can‘t seem to post the results of the March sale , but the real Major Spring Sale is live online now.
The auction is going to be held on May 19 , 2012 at the Wiesbaden location . This sale consist of 303 total lots to be offered . After there last auction in March ,which came across like a large group of leftovers this is more like the quality of items we are used to from Mr Maltzahn. All across the board there are some above average pieces. However this sale is again loaded with Turkmen items ( 60 lots ) which has been the pattern in all the larger auctions in Europe lately . Granted Turkmen pieces are very popular right now but i keep thinking someone with a very large collection could be liquidating ?
A few lots i found to be of interest are listed below.
Lot # 78 Beshir prayer rug. Est.€ 4200 .This piece was published in Schurmann U. Central Asian Carpets . The estimate seems to be very realistic considering the provenance .
Lot # 126 Tekke ensi . Est. € 3600 . Published in Hoffmeister P. , Turcoman Rugs in Franconia . Again with nice provenance , a fair estimate .
Lot # 154 Shakhrisyabz susani .Est. € 18,000.00 . My favorite piece in the sale . I feel it’s a realistic pre-sale estimate and should do well for the consigner.
Lot # 161 Dokhtor i Ghazi prayer rug . Est. € 1800 , seems a little on the conservative side.
Other than that business proceeds at O.C.G.
That’s all for today fffolks !,
5/2/12
Today is the auction at the Palais Dorotheum in Vienna , Austria .
From the posted results this sale did not turn out to well for the auction house . Out of 190 total lots offered only 89 found buyers. It works out to about a 47% sold rate . Most all the more expensive collector lots in the sale did not find buyers .None of the Turkmens i mentioned in an earlier post sold . They had very high pre-sale estimates so the reserves were probably on the high side too. Some of them had also been shopped around the Capri Motel show in San Francisco last Feb . There was one nice upside surprise ,
Lot # 143 Ladik , 18th century . Est. € 4-5000 sold for € 43,460.00 . Nice !!
Something else fresh to report.
The Freeman Auctioneers sale in Philadelphia ,Pa. on May 23 is live online now. Unfortunately this is another uninteresting offering if your a serious collector . The sale consist of mostly mediocre shop stock , no real stand outs . Included at the end of the sale are 4 early pieces ,lot #’s 790, 791,792 and 793 .They are the most interesting items in the sale. However these pieces have already been run through the market in the last few years and they also have fairly aggressive pre- sale estimates.
Business is still moving forward at the gallery but nothing else in the way of breaking news today.
5/3/12
Getting close to Brimfield time .
Next up , the Groganco auction on May 20 ,2012 in Dedham , Ma. is live online now. This sale consist of 117 total lots of oriental rugs and textiles . It is a well rounded group covering most all the weaving areas and in my opinion includes some very good (and fresh ) collectors items. The rug lots are at the end of the sale as usual but in the middle of this sale there are a small group ( 6 ) of room size carpets from one estate .
One lot # 275 ,Bakshaish with an open field has a particularly fair pre-sale estimate , $2-3000 ,00 .
In the main rug portion of the sale there are a couple of things worth mentioning too.
Lot # 508 Anatolian village rug ,17th century . Est $ 10 – 20,000 again a very realistic , some what conservative pre- sale estimate . Should do well.
Lot # 510a Kuba ,yellow ground . Early 19th century . Est $ 8 – 12,000 . Decent condition and a very fair pre – sale estimate . An excellent example of a rare Caucasian carpet.
Mr. Grogan has put together what looks like to me a very interesting sale this time around . Definitely worth taking a look at.
5/4/12
Quiet at O.C.G. on this fine day but busy with shop tasks getting ready for the upcoming trip to the east coast.
5/5/12
Recently I got a comment concerning the last few Rapistan Review blog posts commenting that they felt the subject matter had become somewhat stagnate . Well I don’t really blame them for having this opinion. All though from all the reports i have gotten lately that business is moving forward its still not very interesting to read about unless your in the rug business. Unfortunately since the Caskey- Lees / Capri Motel shows in Feb. there has not been any important oriental rug and textile functions to report on. So the auction schedule has taken center stage as far the rug and textile scene goes. There was one small rug event in London a while back ( LARTA ) but that’s about it . Next up another small fair , again in London ( Karma ) , more or less a local affair . Nothing else on the calendar for now.
One more thing worth mentioning ,there has not been any great pieces that have turned up out of the woodwork lately to create a stir either . So it’s true the market is moving in a positive direction but with nothing in the way of exciting events to generate energy.
The Rapistan Review is a blog that is focused on what’s happening in the oriental rug and textile world so when it comes to pass it gets a write up, other than that just have patience and stay tuned it will happen !!!.

Can we sonogram your head ? To see if there is anything to abort !! Sheik Frederich 2012.

Song o the week ,Spirit ,1984 on Clear , 1969 .

4/23/12 it’s like a nightmare ,it just keeps “getting” worse !!!

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:59:32 +0000

4/23/12
Landed !
Live from N Y C . From what i understand i missed a lot of rain yesterday . Not much to report so far today . It all begins on Tuesday .
4/24/12
N.Y.C. Is by far more active right now than it was when i was here last Dec. . Everyone i have run into so far seems to be in a good mood. At first glance business seems to be on the upswing .I even noticed a few local decorators prowling the halls of the rug buildings as well. Weather’s not to bad either . Came across a few nice collectors items to consider today and the search for an oversize decorative carpet is moving forward in a positive direction .Had an interesting meeting with a local collector this evening . So far the trip is looking very promising , but tomorrow let’s see if it all comes together.
4/25/12
It’s all over but the celebration . Nothing but shining happy faces again today. Business in the New York metro market place seems to be relatively healthy at least for the time being. Plenty of hustle and bustle going on . My search for a room size carpet turned out much better than I expected it would , 4 solid prospects to fill the spot.
One more thing of note , i ran into a few out of town dealers on the hunt for fresh pieces so things must be moving forward in other areas of the U.S. too. For myself things went smooth and all the things I set out do were accomplished so i figure the trip was successful .
Yesterday was the Christies sale in London and first impressions are it may not have done that well. Out of 234 lots offered only 97 appear to have sold ,not exactly what they were hoping for ,well under 50% . They did have a few upside surprises though.Lot # 72 Dragon Sumac ? at U.S.63,955.00 certainly put a smile on some consigners face. Looked more like a Shrimp Sumac to me.
Results for the two lots I mentioned in an earlier post are listed below.
Lot # 100 the Seljuk cpt. fragment was withdrawn from the sale for further analysis to determine it’s age.
Lot # 101 the Selendi prayer rug , est U.S. 120 -180,000.00 sold for U.S. 369,780.00 . There is certainly a happy consigner out there somewhere. As I said this was my favorite piece in the sale. Very scarce !,
4/26/12
Almost time to head to the airport for the flight home. ✈
Bonham’s ,London was yesterday and it was a far cry from being a success . The sale featured 243 total lots put up for sale of which only 97 sold. Nowhere near there recent sale average of 50 % + , more in the range of 40 % . As I said earlier the sale was over loaded with Persian tribal and city pieces and they did not fair to well . Going over the prices fetched everything that did sell seemed to sell on the conservative side . The embargo on Persian pieces to the U.S. may have had an effect on the out come of this sale !,,
The 2 pieces I mentioned earlier are listed below.
Lot # 39 Anatolian prayer rug Est. £ 7-1000 , sold over the estimate at £ 1375 including the commission.
Lot # 189 Dragon sumac , Est. £ 12-1800 sold for £ 1875 including the commission . May have been a good buy for someone.
Sotheby’s also held an Islamic week sale yesterday that included 25 lots of oriental rugs and textiles . Unfortunately for them only 7 found buyers . About a 30 % sold percentage ,hardly a success.
Results for the 2 lots I mentioned before are listed below.
Lot # 678 Shakrhrizabz susani Est. £ 7 – 10,000 sold for £ 8,175 with in the range.
Lot # 690 small medallion Oushak did not sell.
4/27/12
Back in the O.C. The flight was nothing more than one delay after another but I made it , an hour and a half late . Oh well you can’t win them all .Back on the job at O.C.G.
4/28/12
Quiet today.Looked over the rug and textile offerings at Auktionhaus Homm in Oberursel ,Germany on May 12 ,2012. Unfortunately out of 171 lots put up for sale i found nothing of interest to serious collectors , more or less general dealer stock .
Nothing in the way of posted sale results from the March 24 ,Rippon- Boswell auction yet. maybe some day !!
4/29/12
On the road most of the day . Great response to the oversize carpets i located in N.Y.C. It’s always cool when a plan begins to come together. Not much else to report.

I have my EYE on you , and it’s not a good one.!!!! Sheik Frederich ,2012 .

Song o the Week , Arch Enemy ,We will Rise on Anthems of Rebellion , 2003. .

4/16/12 Which end did that come out of ???

admin — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:13:44 +0000

4/16/12
So as I figured there are at least 4 new speciality oriental rug and textile sales scheduled for the next 30 days or so besides the ones already announced .Once again the market will be flooded with merchandise and the question is will it be able to absorb it. Time will tell .
Still no results from the March 24 Rippon – Boswell auction but they have already scheduled another major “Spring” sale for May 10 .Much more on these sales in the coming days .
4/17/12
Tax day , U.S.A. It’s here and almost gone ,what a load off.
Next things next.It’s been brought to my attention that some folks out there are wondering if I am writing all this stuff on the blog myself or if someone is helping me. Well , I am here to tell that its me and only me . And i take all the photos included in the blog posts myself too.That is why some or all of it comes off as untrained , or it is ? Any one who actually knows me would certainly recognize my unusual idea’s on things .Sheik Frederich has an observation on this at the end of the post.
4/18/12
Today was the first 2 sessions of the Christies , NYC decorative arts sale that included 71 oriental rugs and 17 tapestries . From there posted results it appears that out of the 71 lots of oriental rugs and textiles listed 39 ended up finding new homes . This amounts to a sold percentage of something just over 50% , Of the few Caucasian pieces offered only one ended up selling . As i said in an earlier post they were commercial grade Caucasian carpets so nothing of any real interest to collectors this time around.Of the 13 lots tapestries ( 17 total pieces ) offered 6 found buyers not quite as good a sales percentage as the rug portion of the sale .All in all not to bad day for Christies considering it was the day after tax day and this is still a slightly weak rug market.
Other than that not much else happening here ,commerce continues but no fresh news to report.
4/19/12
The new Hali finally hit the streets for advertisers so i made the new web show live today. Check it out if you have time . Preparation in full swing for my first trip to the east coast of the new year.
4/20/12
Stuck in the middle of another quiet period . Plenty of gallery business to attend to before i leave for N Y C , but no visitors . Items are selling but nothing in the way of buying ,that however should change next week. Enshallah !,,

Details , details have a look at the details ?

4/21/12
The response to the new online exhibition is strong so far. Everything else at O.C.G. is quiet , but since I am leaving on Monday for N Y C , it gives me all the time I need to get ready. Muy Bueno !!
4/22/12
The day before the day , time to move .
This week ends on a silent note . However plenty of auction action this coming week. Since this is my first trip to the east coast in the new year I wonder what the mental condition of the New York market will be . I have had a lot of feed back from the S.F. Area , New England and the mid – west but not much from the city. The last time i was there in Dec. 2011 it was very subdued to say the least.
This will all become clear on Monday .

Remember it’s like T V , if you don’t like it just change the channel. Sheik Frederich ,2012.

Song o the Week , Dirty Looks ,Cool from the Wire , on Cool from the Wire ,1987.

4/10/12 Dolomite comes a horseman with Icepick Slim !!

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:49:50 +0000

4/10/12
Another day with no in gallery action but plenty of time to plot my next move . Lets just see what we can F – with next . Not much to look forward to in the next few days but as everybody knows that changes a the drop of a hat . We are expecting bad weather for the next day or so which should impede any business at O.C.G. With nothing in the way of any events featuring oriental rugs ,textiles or ethnic art for the next week it’s tough to find something to blog about . However something always pops up sooner rather than later .
4/11/12
Recently I have been questioned as to why i review and do follow ups on all the 2nd tier or lesser auctions . So i will give you my thoughts on why i go to the trouble of doing it . First off there are by far more oriental rug and textile auctions than there are rug and textile shows or fairs that feature them. So what I am trying to do is gauge the flow of of the various categories of rugs and textiles. As in what’s hot or what’s cooled off and which way the general market is going. It seems one of the most accurate ways to do this is by keeping tabs on the auctions , to see which categories are getting the most attention .Granted when a special / fresh piece appears on the market it more often than not creates a stir , but that’s an abnormality and not what i am looking for .What I am looking for is the overall condition of the rug and textile market ,market up ,market down ,market sideways. For instance early Turkmen and Caucasian pieces seem to be leading the pack in the collectable field . And in the decorator area it used to be Oushak , Agra and Mahal at least on the west coast . However that is ruled by the decorator trade and this area of of the market has cooled off ,at least recently in Cali. But Serapi ,Bakshish , and Heriz still remain strong in the general decorative area of the market through out the whole U.S. market.
Another example of what I am talking about is the latest Christies auction on April 25 2012 , in London. It’s loaded down with dozar size (4 / 6 ) Persian city pieces. This would never work in the U.S. , because that has been one of the weakest parts of the market here for many years . Especially with the embargo being in effect , even more so these days . However by keeping your eye on these things gives you a heads up on what’s popular in other markets like Europe , but maybe not so much in the U.S. It also seems that lately the European market can hold a large scale sale of low end and semi antique rugs and textiles and be very successful. Consider the results of recent sale at Netherhamton sales rooms in Salisbury ,U.K. ,close to 99% sold ,out of 485 total lots offered. This has worked on a small scale like at Bonham’s in the U.S. ,but has not been attempted on a large scale.
Something else of interest on another part of the market is the flow of late 19th century Turkish and Caucasian pieces out of the U.S. market . Dealers from the U.S. and Europe and of course Turkey have been buying them up for a long time and taking them over to Turkey for restoration and then after having them completely restored putting them back on the market through auctions ,shows and fairs through out the world . But in the last few years the U.S. collectors market has totally turned against this type of merchandise preferring pieces unrestored or with minor restoration instead . You can easily gauge this by prices fetched in auctions on mediocre over restored items , if they sell at all.
What I am getting with all this is it’s helpful information to dealers in general and myself specifically to keep an eye on all aspects of the way rugs and textiles are being sold as a hedge against getting overloaded with pieces that are out of fashion in the decorator market or not in demand in the collectors field . There are certainly more rugs and textiles available than buyers out there today.
As in any business information is the most valuable commodity of all !!!
4/12/12
Not much in the way of fresh and interesting news in the area of oriental rugs and textiles this week so far .However on another front a cable T V ( Bravo channel ) show i mentioned in an earlier post featuring the Persian community in L.A. , called the “Shahs of Sunset ” filmed in N.Y.C on last Sunday’s episode . What was of interest on that Sunday’s show was it featured a couple of long time rug dealers from the New York city carpet mafia . The one reason i have been following this show was that I figured someone i new from the rug market would turn up on the show sooner or later and it finally happened . So anyone who has been in the rug business any length of time check out the repeat broadcast of last Sundays episode and you will recognize them.
Holy snikes , Batman !!, new media stars on the rise.
Enough is Enough ,back to business .
4/13/12
Wind ,rain and generally poor weather contributed to nothing in the way of business at. O.C.G. today but i should be back on track tomorrow. Over ,under ,sideways ,down , it sure is choppy trying to get things going on a steady flow lately , but it’s still all good .
4/14/12
Alls quiet on the western front . Tomorrows another Long Beach fair , and it looks like the weather is gonna play ball so smooth sailing is on the horizon. 4/15/12Good weather at the Long Beach fair today, but nothing in the way of rug and textile action . Did run into a couple of out of town faces ,so there was some interesting conversation but that’s about it .
4/15/12
The beginning of a new week brings nothing note worthy to mention. Business continues which is good but something fresh is what you want to hear. Well auction action picks up the day after Tax day in the U.S.. Unfortunately that’s it so far so stay tuned and i am sure things will start popping soon.

If the seeds of dissension are planted in the Garden of Darkness do then the Flowers of Evil bloom !!! Sheik Frederich ,2012.

Song o the week , Hole , Violet on Live Through This ,1994 .

4/3/12 Woman makes a rainbow with a shotgun ?

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:08:34 +0000

4/3/12
Another day of visitors at O.C.G. , unfortunately this time nothing in the way of commerce ,but then you just can’t win them . Progress on all the other irons that are in the fire though , so the day ends on an upswing.
4/4/12
Layers of activity at the gallery today. Nothing new in the way of rug market news but business is still moving full speed ahead. No information so far on the results of the Rippon – Boswell sale , however that could change at any time.
4/5/12
Holiday weekend on the horizon so things are gonna get real quiet. One nice deal closes and an other appears in it’s place so the ball keeps rollin in a forward motion. How’s this for late afternoon developments ,unannounced out of the country visitors from Turkey . This is not something that happens to often at O.C.G. Unfortunately nothing in the way of commerce , but interesting conversation that’s for sure. In the end it’s all good.
4/6/12
No action at the gallery today but plenty of movement on deals in the pipeline. Not a word as far as any fresh news in the rug market .
4/7/12
The day before Easter so it’s “deader than a door nail” as far as any business goes. The last few days nothing was really was happening at the gallery , but out of state commerce moves forward so it’s not a complete shut down. I think i am keeping Fed Ex in business thats for sure. Even though it is Easter weekend the April edition of the Rosebowl fair is going on as usual so there is one possibility to look forward to.
4/8/12
Easter !!!
A tragic turn of events ……
One more uneventful day at the Rosebowl. More than a few exhibitors did not show up and while i was there the crowd was fairly light , but the weather was great . However in the past on Easter Sunday the crowd did pick after church let out about 10 am. As far as i could tell no collectors items in the area of oriental rugs and textiles or any other ethnic art field turned up .I guess it’s to be expected though ,considering this is a holiday weekend .

Now for something fresh to report . The Palais Dorotheum in Vienna ,Austria has announced an auction to be held on May 2 ,2012 that will include 190 lots of oriental rugs and textiles. This is an qeclectic group with no real star pieces included , in my opinion and opinions do vary !, I did notice a few fairly nice Kazaks ( lot # s 61 ,75 and 119 ) and a Dazgiri rug ( Turkey ) lot # 66 that looked decent .

One other thing I found interesting in the the sale ,it includes three Turkmen pieces with what i thought were unusual Pre- sale Estimates.

Lot # 33 Tekke Torba est. € 6-7,000 . This piece looks spiffy and in good condition but it is standard 6 gul layout. The estimate seemed a little aggressive in this market with all the Turkmen items being offered at auction lately .
Lot # 70 Yomud Asmalyk est. € 18-24,000 . Good condition but an average design except for the flower heads coming in from the sides of the field . Unusual for sure ,but enough to warrant this high of a pre- sale estimate ? We shall see !,
Lot # 189 Tekke Ensi est. € 13-16,000 . Standard design and stiff drawing , but with an animal and tree panel , still seems a little optimistic .

All in all this is a better than average auction selection , especially considering the fact the sale is in Austria which does not happen that often . That said this is there 3rd annual rug auction ,2010 – 2011 and now 2012 . Looks like this becoming a once a year event ?
4/9/12
A new week and were off to a slow start . No visitors at O.C.G.today but out of town business is still moving forward. Still no word from Hali on a new issue but it can’t be to much longer ,it’s certainly overdue. Checked Rippon- Boswell again , no posted results from the March sale yet . Things always get spotty this close to tax day in the U.S. and that’s only a week away.

Babble on ,babble on , when nothing else is going on !!! Sheik Frederich , 2012 .

Song o the week ,Motörhead ,Just cos You Got The Power , on Better Motörhead than Dead -Live At Hammersmith ,2007.

3/27/12 Don’t harsh my Mellow !!!

admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:17:24 +0000

3/27/12
So off to a slow start today . After all the auction action lately it gets quiet real fast. Next up the Nagel auction first thing this morning in Stuttgart,Germany . Nothing in the way of results from these guys yet or for that matter Rippon- Boswell either ,figures they would mirror as far as posting sales totals go! It’s to bad you have to wait so long to find how these sales went. Unless you attended them or got second hand information which is not always real accurate you just have to wait. Business continues here at O.C.G.Should be getting close to the next issue of Hali but as far as timing goes they keep a fairly loose schedule . When is shows up it shows up.
3/28/12
Well,well what do ya know ! Nagel’s is the first out the gate to post sale results . Out of the 285 rug and textile lots offered they sold approximately 144 , right at 50 + % . Not to bad for a sale this size thats not overloaded with better items . As i said earlier quite a few entry level Turkmen items in this sale and the European market has been flooded with them lately,so the sale results are no surprise. The sale did include some items from the Werner Loges collection ( 24 total lots 20 sold ) but the low end Turkmen’s by far out numbered them. All things considered this sale turned out fairly successful for Auktion house Nagel since they did not have a large amount of top shelf items .The one lot I found most interesting # 14 double – niche rug , Turkey ,17th century or earlier Est. € 20,000 sold for € 70,000. Way over the pre-sale est. but with the age and rarity of the piece this looks like a pretty good acquisition for the new owner. One other thing to note lot # 18 Turkmen kejebe trapping ,earlier 19th century. Not the best quality or condition. Est. € 2000 sold for € 40,000. At first glance it looked like it was of Salor origin but with a lot of white cotton pile possibly Saryk ? . This was a Loges coll. piece but a still big upside surprise even though the pre- sale est . was very conservative.
3/29/12
This Thursday starts off with internet connection problems at O.C.G. so it’s a slow beginning to the days business. Well the problem is solved and I am back online ,no harm no foul. Not much else happening so today is a wash , back at it tomorrow.
3/30/12
Will miracles never cease .Bonham’s in London has put together a pretty good rug auction for a change . The sale to be held on April 25 consist of 243 total lots . Granted it is is heavy on tribal and Persian city rugs but at least it’s a decent representation . There are a few Caucasian and other items but nothing much of note . They still have not come up with any serious collectors items but this sale is certainly a step in the right direction . This is easily the best group they have come up with in recent memory. Unfortunately since the best items are of Persian origin i doubt there can be much in the way of bidding coming from the U.S. A couple of pieces I found to be some what interesting are listed below.
Lot # 39 ,Anatolian prayer rug Est. £ 7-1000 . This is a particularly good copy of a famous prayer rug illustrated in Bode and Kuhnel , Antique Rugs from the Far East . It is vintage (circa 1900) and you can’t get the real thing (state museum Berlin ). This piece does have a good decorative look.
Lot # 189 , Dragon sumak Est. £ 12 – 1800 . A very realistic pre- sale estimate in my opinion . This is a reasonably nice piece in what looks like fairly good condition.That said it would need to be checked out in person for over restoration . Other than that it’s one more quiet afternoon at the shop . Business rolls forward at O.C.G. with out of town visitors expected this weekend .
3/31/12
Not much happening today at the shop but there is a bit of fresh news today . It seems Sotheby’s is finally on the board with two sales coming up during Islamic week in London.
The first is on April 24 , Art of the Ottoman Empire . This sale does not include any oriental rugs but does have 20 lots of what look like fairly good Islamic textiles and a large amount of other types of Turkish antiquities. I am no expert on these things but they look good to me and there worth a look if you are interested in this area of collecting.
The second sale is the next day ,April 25 , Arts of the Islamic World . This one includes items from all over the rest of the Islamic world . It has 25 lots of oriental rugs and textiles . The rugs in the sale are mostly decorative but there are a few better quality collectors pieces . Two items I felt were worth mentioning are listed below.
Lot # 678 ,Shakrhrizabz susani Est. £ 7-10,000 . The illustration online is not the best , but this piece looks like it might be pretty good , with a fair Pre-sale estimate.
Lot # 690 , small medallion Oushak ,17th century , Est. £ 40 – 60,000 . A moderate pre-sale est. This does not look like the best example of this type .But it’s still the highlight of the rug portion of this sale Next up,out of town visitors tomorrow.
4/1/12
Why certainly sir , the jokes always on you !
With people at O.C.G. on this fine Cali day lots of discussion and some impending commerce but nothing in the way of fresh news to report. But it’s Sunday which is supposed to be a rest day anyway so it’s cool. Back on the clock Monday morning and there may be a flurry of activity.
4/2/12
The ball is definitely rollin today.things are falling into place nicely ,it’s always a great day when a plan comes together. More on the horizon for tomorrow. One other thing of note , a comment was posted mentioning that I did not post an illustration of the pieces i found at the last Rosebowl and Long Beach antique fairs. However the reader did not put together the fact that I did post a detail photo of one of the pieces and probably will do the same with other one in the future.

When the going gets weird ,the weird turn pro ?. Or do they ! Sheik Frederich, 2012.

Song o the week , Slipknot , Dead Memories , on All Hope is Gone , 2008 .

3/21/12 in the quest for whirled peas ,who’s driving ?

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:35:59 +0000

3/21/12
Tax day at O.C.G. Does it get any better than that
For your fun and entertainment plenty more auction action in the next few days and hopefully some news from the show in NYC..Other than that great weather at O.C.G. and movement on the projects I have been working on. Finally got my hands on a great item I been after for a couple of weeks today . So that’s one piece of business out of the way but plenty more on deck to deal with . Ran out of time today.
3/22/12
Not much on the radar this afternoon. Things should get more interesting moving into the weekend . But for now it’s quiet time , gives you a chance to relax and regroup before it starts cranking again. No reports back yet on what’s happening at the Arts of Asia show in N.Y.C. One more thing ,the London Antique Rug and Textile Art fair starts today . The fair runs from March 22 – 24 , 12 + dealers are exhibiting . Not a large scale show but looks to be above average items on display .Worth a look if your in the neighborhood . Here’s looking to a good show for the exhibitors and a successful show in general.
3/23/12
It appears that from first hand reports from the Arts of Asia show in N.Y.C. for the dealers exhibiting oriental rugs and textiles things are going pretty well so far.However another uneventful day here at O.C.G. Tomorrow there just may be out of town visitors so lets just see where that leads . But first things first an early morning trip to my repair mans shop with a couple of minor restoration jobs.
3/24/12
Today we have both the Rippon – Boswell auction in Weisbaden , Germany and the Grogan sale in Dedham ,Ma. It usually takes weeks to get results from R-B but Grogan post sale results immediately. So we should know shortly.Had a look at the R.-B. site nothing in the way of news on how it went there yet ,could be a couple of months before any posted sales figures. These guys take there sweet time.Visitors come and visitors go , so now there gone and we are back on the clock. The first session of the Grogan 2 day auction is over and all four of the decorative carpets included in this part of the sale found buyers. The main body of rug and textile offering is at the tail end of Sundays session , so we will see how that turns out tomorrow afternoon.
3/25/12
The only thing fresh happening today is the 2nd session at Grogan’s . One thing of note ,lot # 825 , a fairly nice 2nd phase design Navaho chiefs blanket .circa 1870 probably transitional period est. U.S. 6-9,000. Sold for U.S. 8,850.00 . Looked decent in the illustrations , appeared to have a slight amount of bleeding. A fairly strong price considering the age and condition.
Oriental rugs and textiles in the 2nd session sold very well . Of the 85 total lots offered only 6 failed to find buyers. As far as oriental rugs go at Grogan’s they have been consistently selling in the 90% range lately ,thats as good as it gets in the U.S. market. Granted not much in the way of top shelf items included in this group. However in the past when they have hosted a high end oriental rug and textile auction that too has had stellar results. So what do you say M.G. how about a real rug sale this year ?
As far as the lot i mentioned earlier , # 1077 Bidjar Triclinium Cpt. Est. U.S. 5 – 10,000.00 it sold for U.S. 6,490.00 ,The low end of the pre-sale estimate .It could have had condition issues (wear , repair ) not visible in the online photos . One more thing to add today , the rain and wind has returned to So. Cal. which always affects business here.
3/26/12
First up today another Bonhams’ sale ,this one in San Francisco,Ca.So the rug dept. did very well for themselves in the carpet portion of this sale today . Out of 79 total lots offered 59 sold . A higher sales rate than they have been averaging ,70 + % . Once again this group of merchandise fell into the low end area of the rug market but these guys are doing there job and it’s paying off for them. One thing to note though these pieces did sell very reasonable ,but sold is sold !

The Christies auction in N.Y.C. on April 18 is live online now. This I another mixed sale including 71 lots of oriental rugs and 17 Tapestries. Nothing in the way of serious collectors items in this offering . Most of the lots are decorative pieces and a few commercial grade Caucasian pieces . If your bored check it out but unfortunately they have placed the rug lots through out the sale again , not in one bunch ,so it takes a little extra time to view them. Now for something a little more note worthy .

One more Christies sale on April 25 in London is also live online now . Again Mr. Robinson has put together a fairly decent offering . 234 total pieces to be put up for sale this time around .This is a 2 session sale and the strength from a collectors stand point is in the morning half of the auction. Loads of late fancy Persian rugs and carpets are included through out both sessions. With the embargo on Persian rugs in place nothing of interest for the U.S. market . Still lots of interesting rugs and textiles included in the auction it is definitely worth taking a look. I have listed below 2 lots I felt were highlights of the sale , in my opinion

Lot # 100 ,Seljuk carpet frag. ,possibly 13 century is the most aggressively estimated item in the sale . At U.S. 310- 450,000.00 someone thinks very highly of this piece . Make no mistake it is a scarce frag. but it is still a frag and not particularly a large one at that.
Another notable rug on the block is lot # 101 Selendi prayer rug dated to the late 16th century . Estimated at U.S. 120 – 180,000.00 this seems to me to be much more in the ball park . It’s a complete piece in fairly good condition and with pretty good provenance . I will say this , it is one of my favorite designs ( cintimani ) so I am partial to this type rug.

Plausible Deniability ,is this really how you ruin your life ? Sheik Frederich . 2012

Song o the week Prong , Snap Your Fingers ,Snap Your Neck . on Cleansing 1994.

3/13/12 Yo , Dude like Facebook me !!!

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:01:55 +0000

3/13/12 Tuesday reigns supreme !As i stated earlier another mediocre auction at Bonham’s in London on March 20th , with no change in the in the quality of merchandise they have been offering lately. Nothing in this sale for collectors ,just commercial grade decorative carpets and a few very average late Caucasian pieces .The rugs included in the sale are on the inexpensive side and it does cost to stage an auction . This is a small group (50 lots ) and I wonder if its worth there time and trouble considering the number of lots finding buyers has been running about 60% . They have however been putting on an auction with rugs and textiles almost every month at one of there various locations , which is an aggressive strategy . Other than that alls quiet at O.C.G. today . A few transactions on the table just waiting for confirmation .
3/14/12
What’s not to love ,the smell of napalm on a glorious Wednesday morning , fresh new opportunities abound. Business attempts to pick up where it left of yesterday. But So far it’s another quiet day at the shop . Plenty of dialogue on commerce that’s in progress but nothing has been completed .I did get confirmation on an offer i made on an important piece that should be finished early next week .Also a good lead on a Central Asian piece for Sunday ,that’s about it for today.
3/15/12
Conversations on impending business continue on a positive note and a couple of new situations are added to the mix . Not much else to report today on that front. There is one fresh piece of interesting news to comment on . I found what may become my next favorite T.V. show . It’s called the Shahs of Sunset and it’s on Sunday nights on the Bravo cable channel.The first episode was this last Sunday night .What caught my interest about this show is , it’s a reality feature about the (wealthy )Persian community in Beverly Hills Ca. Bling and glitz galore ,look at me ,look at me and look at me some more. Serious over kill for sure. For the most part I think reality T.V. is pretty lame . But being in the rug business for a long time and knowing lots of Persian people i just had to check this show out . The way they portray the cast in the show has to be seen to be believed . As i said I have been in the rug trade for quite a while and wonder how the Persian folk will feel about it. One thing i am watching for is to see if someone from the La Cienega blvd rug mafia shows up on the show. If you don’t have anything to do on Sunday night at 10 pm ,pst check this show out it’s good for a laugh unless your of Persian decent.
3/16/12
Saints be praised , Hype Pad / New I Pad day is finally here !, Got it , it’s well worth it.Looks like all the deals I have been working on for the last few days are put on hold for the moment.Nothing fresh to babble about on this fine pre – St Patricks day . Gradually things get completed that’s why patience has always been a virtue !! And always pays off in the LONG run. Tomorrow is a new day and progress is certain to be made . 3/17/12Well the good news is there’s no bad news today . But other than that not much happening except plenty of rain . Things are moving a head on all the situations i am working on but it doesn’t look like anything will be completed till Monday or Tuesday. Tomorrow is the March edition of the Long Beach antique fair . The forecast is for more rain but I have an appointment there to check out a Central Asian juval and maybe purchase it. So rain or no rain gotta show up.
3/18/12
Weather turned out not to be a problem at Long Beach today ,however the crowd was not even close to the size it usually is . It appears the threat of rain scared off alot of both exhibitors and buyers . The dealers I had an appointment with did show up and things went smooth . The item they brought was exactly as they said it was , so a nice acquisition for O.C.G. It shows that if you stick with and keep going sooner or later you end up being prosperous . Success at two Long Beach fairs in a row this year ,off to a good start. Well , well well ,what do ya know ,what do ya know . Another Bonham’s sale , this one in San Francisco ,Ca on March 25 . 79 total lot’s of mediocre general rugs and textiles .I looked over this group and it looks like a step backwards from the last few sales they have put on. There offerings are never very good at Bonham’s but this bunch makes me think it’s the left overs they did not include in previous auctions.Still you gotta keep an eye on these guys ,every dog has his day , so sooner or later there gonna come up with a note worthy piece. I will say this about the staff at Bonham’s they deserve kudos for being so aggressive in a spotty rug market. They do have 2 auctions in the next 7 days. There sales have been averaging 60% + sales rate so they must be doing something right , these inexpensive items keep selling .
3/19/12
Wind and rain are pretty much over so back to business. On the quiet side at O.C.G. today but things in the works are moving forward . So Sunday night was the second episode of Shahs of Sunset on the Bravo channel . For anybody in the rug business and who deals with our Persian brothers ,should see how they portray them on this reality show. As with all these type of shows it’s blow way out of proportion . It nears to be seen to be believed . I am just waiting to see if someone I know shows up on this program .
3/20/12
This evening is the opening night party for the Caskey -Lees, Arts of Pacific Asia show in NYC . These preview night parties are always cool so if your in town check it out. The Bonham’s. ,London auction was today . 50 lots offered with 25 finding new homes. At 50 % sold they did not quite hit there sales mark that they have been averaging . Granted this stuff was not very interesting but it keeps selling for them. Better luck next time .

The rock rolls on ,time waits for no one and the wheel in the sky keeps on turning ,whats next for you !, Sheik Frederich 2012.

Song o the week , Cradle of Filth , Forgive me Father on Darkly ,Darkly ,Venus Aversa ,2010 .

3/7/12 Won-won , Dawon , requires thought ???

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:14:17 +0000

3/7/12
Big Apple day here !!!Here we go with another big auction in Europe , Stuttgart , Germany to be exact. Nagel auction is holding a fairly large sale on March 27 just 3 days after Rippon – Boswell holds there spring sale. Nagel’s sale consist of 285 total lots of oriental rugs , trapping’s , textiles of all types and a few lots of rug books . A much better selection than what’s at R. B. this time around ,and it does include a few high end pieces . One more some what interesting feature of this sale is it is another auction loaded down with Turkmen pieces . Although a group of the Turkmen pieces (24) are from the collection of W. Loges , most of the others are very ordinary . This is the 3rd sale in March with a large Turkmen offering .Will the market be able to absorb so many average Turkmen pieces in such a short period of time? On a positive note the whole sale pretty much has very realistic pre- sale estimates which is a good start ,but estimates are just estimates where they end up that’s the real question !!One lot that i though was particularly attractive was lot # 14 double- niche rug ,Turkey ,17th century or possibly earlier. Est. € 20,000 . A very fair est. should attract some serious action.
3/8/12
The sale at Netherhamton ,Salisbury ,U.K. went off today and it appears it was a major success and as i mentioned earlier this was a fairly large offering. From what the auction house has posted as far as results it looks like pretty much everything they offered in the rug and textile department sold ,99+ % .I only noticed one lot that may not have sold . Granted a lot of the items offered appear to have sold VERY cheap but certainly a huge winner for the auction house .This is not a common occurrence in the rug market these days ,but then again these big sales of inexpensive pieces in Europe and the U.K. have been doing very well lately . A plus for the rug and textile market in general for sure .Of the items I tracked they all found buyers and they look to have been very good buys. Lot # 1690 , various rug and textile books ,13 items est. £ 1-200 sold for £ 220 .Lot # 1691, books , Hartley Clarke ,Bokhara ,Turkmen and Afgan rugs .est. £ 80-120 sold for £ 130, very reasonable. Lot # 2026 , Azeri mafrash panel , est. £ 2-300 sold for £ 300 , probably Shah-sevan ,once again could be a very nice buy . One other lot I did not mention # 1913 a Ladik prayer rug mid 19th century orearlier,est. £ 3-500 sold for £ 600 , may have been a sleeper.
3/9/12
Clients from out of town today , let’s just see where that ends up , but it feels promising. Other than that nothing else new to report so far. Things went quite well this morning as far as commerce is concerned. The weather was pleasant and everybody went home happy . This afternoon was uneventful so back on the clock Saturday. The new day brings along the possibility of a decorative carpet placement job ,something I have not done for a few years . Depending on how it goes i may have to reconnect with all the dealers i know who handle that type of merchandise. What ya say what ya know , went for the new IPAD 3 ta day !!! Let’s just see how that turns out .
3/10/12
Back off the road , got all the measurements required for this decorating assignment . So smooth, so far. News flash , the March 24th Sale at Grogan’s in Dedham ,Ma. is live online now so I had a look this afternoon . This is a 2 session affair , the first days offerings includes 4 decorative room size carpets ,nothing of interest to collectors . The second session has 85 lots of oriental rugs and textiles .This is a decent group , but it does not include anything in the way of an important or stand out item this time around . That said you should check it out any way because there may be something that strikes your fancy . One scarce item , lot # 1077 ,a Bidjar triclinium carpet, est. U.S. 5.- 10,000 is not of particular interest to collectors but then again not something you run across everyday either. One other thing worth mentioning , this sale is the same day as Rippon – Boswell. Tomorrow is the March edition of the Rosebowl fair in Pasadena ,Ca, not productive lately but still worth a shot ,who knows what will or will not turn up .
3/11/12
Well what do you know , another dry well at the Rosebowl today but watcha gonna do? Why keep drilling next weekend at the Long Beach show, of course. Only a matter of time till ya strike it rich (sick right) . Deals are still moving a head at O.C.G. so all is certainly not lost. The wheels are already in motion on the decorative rug project this afternoon so it’s a move in the right direction. Saints , of course be praised. The new Gilmorechronicles online exhibition is ready to go. Just waiting for the new Hali to be released to make it live. Next up on the the rug and textile calendar , the Caskey -Lees, Arts of Pacific Asia show in N.Y.C. at the Market Suites on 34th street at 5th ave.Starts on March 20 ,runs through March 24. Not sure how many rug dealers are going to exhibit there , but know matter it will still be an interesting show.Right as the show ends ,plenty of auction action begin.
3/12/12
Whole lotta Rosie today but no business at the O.C.G.. It’s been pretty hectic in Costa Mesa lately so when you throw in a slow day it gives you time to go back and double check everything. Make sure you did not over look the details.I don’t figure it will be quiet for long ,to many irons in the fire. A new week always bring new situations.
One other minor thing of note ,another Bonham’s auction in London on March 20 including 50 lots of oriental rugs and textiles .More on this tomorrow.

Do you get it? I am not so sure , go back think it over and start again!!! Sheik Frederich , 2012 .

Song o the week , Thirteenth Floor Elevators ,You’re Gonna Miss Me , on The Very Best Of : Going Up, 2004.