12/26/17 Sensing “ Your” space in Time ?
12/26/17
The year is ending on a quiet but somber note .
Go With God , Mercedes Grabowski , aka August Ames , Dec. 5th . Far to young at just 23 years !
12/27/18
A couple of somewhat modest rug auctions on the horizon.
Austria Auction Co , Vienna , Austria has a pair of “for the most” part unimportant sales scheduled in the first part of the new year .
The first one is a single owner sale featuring 61 lots from the Azad Vartian collection scheduled on Jan.28th , 2018. I don’t know who this fellow is but this looks more like Persian rug dealer’s inventory rather than a serious rug collection . Lots of Persian city rugs and silk carpets which from the illustrations appear to be in good condition but unfortunately nothing in the way of bona fide collectors item of any type. The one thing that is the “only” appealing aspect of the group “for the most part” is Mr Langauer has kept the pre-sale starting points on the conservative side which is good if this is your cup of tea !
Next up a general rug sale scheduled on Feb. 3rd that features 189 lots of all types of rugs , carpets , flatweaves and textiles . For starters this is a far more interesting group of items than the Jan. sale but unfortunately it also does not included any top shelf collectors pieces. Plenty of nice items but nothing to get the infamous “ rug- mob” buzzing. Something worth mentioning , the majority of lots in the sale inventory come from 2 well known rug world figures . Mr S. Azadi and Kurt Munkacsi interesting ? The Azadi items seem to be from his business inventory which leads one to ask the question where are the top shelf items ? I did not check but the Munkacsi pieces may be leftovers from the first sale ? Something else to ponder , some of the Azadi Turkmen lots have modestly aggressive pre-sale starting points . Considering the possibility these items are not necessarily fresh to the market this could hold them back a bit ? Once again just an opinion nothing more !
12/28/17
12/29/17
12/30/17
12/31/17
Out of town visitors and commerce to end the year .
1/1/18
Happy New Year to all !
1/2/18
Strive to keep your head on straight in this New Year !
1/3/18
1/4/18
1/5/18
Modest in shop score today !
1/6/28
1/7/18
1/8/18
1/9/18
1/10/18
One more passing over to the other side !
R.I.P. “Fast” Eddie Clarke , legendary lead guitar player and last surviving member of the classic early line up of “Motorhead. Following that he was a founding member of “Fastway “ with Pete Way of UFO . Gone now , but never forgotten !
1/11/18
1/12/18
1/13/18
1/14/18
Slow times in the rug world are certainly upon us for the forseeable future .
Something bright to end the post !
People who constantly deal in trick / got’cha questions are in fact the “fools” themselves , DNC ! , Sheik Frederich , 2017/ 2018 !
Dog o the week !
Movie o the week , Casablanca , 1943
Song o the week , Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons , Welcome to Hell on The Age of Absurdity , 2018 .
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11/28/17 Fear of being alone ?
11/28/17
Entering the winter quite period with little or nothing to look forward to , toward the end of the year .
11/29/17
11/30/17
12/1/17
12/2/17
Best Day ever !
12/3/17
12/4/17
12/5/17
12/6/17
Netherhampton’s “winter shindig” is in the books and up to this point it appears to be a typical Netherhampton turn of events. No upside pops and pretty much modest prices fetched across the boards . Out of the 343 total lots offered up for purchase approximately 209 attracted bidding interest . If these figures stand up its a sold percentage of right at 61% which is actually not bad for this late in the season. Unfortunately only 8 lots broke the £ 1,000.00 threshold . Nothing to get excited about but a lot of mid to low end merchandise sold and a job fairly well done by Ms Barrett and staff so a year end “tip of the hat” to them !
12/7/17
Well the Grogan sale just wrapped up and i don’t quite know what to say other than its most certainly not the usual Grogan outcome. Out of the 63 lots of rugs, carpets , books and textiles run across the podium only 41 garnered any interest . A sold percentage of right at 65% far less than the standard Grogan sale total . Nothing at all in the way of any upside pops either and Caucasians seemed very weak . This was a limited size offering but i but surely thought it would fair better than this .
Oh , well back to the drawing board for M.G. and staff on this front . Get’em next time !
12/8/17
12/9/17
12/10/17
12/11/17
12/12/17
R.I.P. , Pat DiNizio , lead vocalist and co founder of the “Alt Rock” band , The Smithereens . Not nessacerly my cup of tea but he wrote or co-wrote a string of memorable hits throughout the 80’s and 90’s. Through your songs your legacy will live on !
12/13/17
More bad news .
Via con Dios , Warrel Dane , lead singer of the legendary metal bands , Sanctuary , Nevermore and as a solo artist in his own right . Far to young at 56 but but your music will certainly keep your memory alive . You are already missed !
Travel day !
12/14/17
N Y C
12/15/17
N Y C and success
12/16/17
Travel day , home !
12/18/27
12/19/17
12/20/17
12/21/17
12/22/17
Early Christmas decoration !!!
12/23/17
Christmas weekend is upon us !
12/24/17
The Eve !
O12/25/17
That , as they say ,is that ! , Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all !
Not to fear , nothing but good things and good times in the up coming , New Year ! , Sheik Frederich , 2017
Movie o the week , Chaplin , 1993.
Song o the week , Sanctuary, White Rabbit on Refuge Denied , 1987 .
Tweet Read More11/8/17 No Guts / No Glory , on the road ahead ?
11/8/17
We begin with an extented slow period till Nov. 25th and the highly antisipated “ Rippon-Boswell” major fall rug , carpet and textile auction.
11/9/17
11/10/17
11/11/17
11/12/17
11/13/17
Always keep busy ?
11/14/17
11/15/17
11/16/17
11/17/17
Go With God , Malcom Young , founding member and rhythm guitarist for the legendary Hard rock , Heavy Metal band AC/DC . Your life was cut short but you massive volumn of work will live on forever ! Peace be with you now , my friend !
11/18/17
11/19/17
11/20/17
The upcoming rug and carpet spectacular scheduled on Dec. 6th at “Netherhampton Salesrooms” is live “on the line” now for your holiday weekend viewing pleasure . Unfortunately what Ms Barrett and staff have assembled this time out is just another standard Netherhampton offering . Approximately 343 total lots of mid to low end shop stock / flea market type merchandise . Once again nothing in the way of a serious collectors item or high end decorator carpet.
One thing of note . If your looking for sumak cargo bags your in luck !
That said it is a substancial group and if your in the market for an inexpensive holiday gifts this could certainly be an interesting shopping opportunity. Some of the items are decent with low estimates and could fill the bill if your in the holiday shopping mood !
11/21/17
11/22/17
11/23/17
Next up another 4 day Thanksgiving holiday weekend celebration !
11/24/17
Holiday weekend ornament !
11/25/17
“Rippon-Boswell” is underway but where will it end up ?
So here we go.
The sale is in the books and from the point of view of the posted “ Liveauctioneers” results it was only modestly successful for Mr Maltzahn and the Rippon staff . Out of the 305 total lots run across the podiumn only approximately 172 garnered any attention . A sold percentage of roght at 56-57 % . One thing worth noting , these are “Liveauctioneers” figures and more often than not there are mulitple inacuracies . Not terrible but far from what would you assume they hoped for. Sumak bags seemed to be pretty strong and there were a few lots that could be considered modest upside surprises . Lot #’s 12,36,,83 and 195 to name a few. In the end nothing to get excited about but still a decent outcome for D.M. and crew.
As for the 3 lots i featured in the earlier post all found new homes .
Lot # 12 , Shakhrisyabz susani “Joynamoz” . Pre-sale starting point € 3,000.00 . Sold for € 6,600.00 . Modest upside pop , nice for the consigner.
Lot # 134 , Kasmir fragment . Pre-sale starting point € 2,400.00 . Sold for € 1,900.00 . Under the estimate but , sold is sold .
Lot # 143 , Shah Sevan strip carpet . Pre-sale starting point € 15,000.00 . Sold for € 12,000.00 . Again slightly under .
There you have it so now on to the Grogan sale on Dec 7th in Boston, Ma.
11/26/17
Up next and live “ on the line “ now the rug , carpet and ethnic textile auction scheduled on Dec.7th at Grogan & Co. , Boston, Ma. A relatively modest inventory consisting of just 50 rug lots and 9 lots of rug books and pubications . Nothing in the offering could be considered a top shelf collectors item just a decent group of for the most part of pleasant pieces certainly worth your time to take a quick look .
One positive note . As is his M O , Mr Grogan has kept the pre- sale estimates on the conservative side to make the sale accesible to all possible bidders and keep things interesting . Kudos to him for the effort !
In this day and age it appears the so-called “ Progressives” are not so progressive after all , however taking the blinders off and paying attention might help solve their dilemma ? , Sheik Frederich , 2017.
Movie o the week , The Hunting Party , 2007 .
Song o the week . AC/DC , Highway to Hell on Highway to Hell , 1979 , “nuff said” .
Tweet Read More10/30/17 , Skip the fighting , get right to the winning !
10/30/17
Sad news to start the week !
Via con dios , Jack Haldane – Izmidlian . Proprietor of Abington Books and carpet agent at the London freeport . My first agent in London in 1976 and the one who got me started in the Rug Book business . A great man and a better friend . You are already missed and the world is a smaller place now that your gone !
10/31/17
All Hollows Eve !
11/1/17
The mighty Rippon – Boswell’s “Major” fall rug extravaganza scheduled on Nov. 25th in Wiesbaden , Germany is live “ on the line” as we speak for your viewing pleasure and after a few passes through the sale inventory it looks fairly interesting .
So what Mr Maltzahn and staff have in store for your purchasing endevors this time out is 305 total lots of ali types of rugs,carpets, flatweaves and textiles .
Where to start with this one . Well its a fairly diverse group with some inexpensive items , plenty of affordable mid-range pieces and a modest amount of the elusive top- shelf examples that make the “rug- mob” get to buzzing !
Overall it seems they have tried to keep the majority ot the starting points in the realistic arena so as not to put possible bidders off , which is a good thing , in my opinion .
As far as how it ranks in this fall seasons rug auction agenda it seems to be a reasonably well rounded inventory , to my eye , but the “proof in the pudding” will be how it transpires on November 27th. Based on the wide selection and overall better condition of the items in the sale inventory i think it will turn out at least pretty well for Mr Maltzahn and the Rippon staff .
A few lots that peaked my curiosity are posted below.
Lot # 12 , Shakhrisyabz Susani “Joynamoz” ? . Pre- sale starting point E 3,000.00. Not a big deal but interesting graphics , to my taste .
Lot # 134 , Kashmir fragment , Pre-sale starting point , € 2,400.00 . Realistic opening number and the piece speaks for itself !
Lot # 143 , Shahsevan strip carpet . Pre-sale starting point , € 15,000.00 . Been around the track before but still scarce and great eye appeal .
11/2/17
More unfortunate news .
Rest in Peace , Kieth Allen Rocklin . An original “Cali” rug merchant and good friend for 35+ years . Your at peace now and back with Victoria !
11/3/17
11/4/17
Out of town visitors and commerce .
11/5/17
Quiet Sunday , but we await major auction action on Tuesday !
11/6/17
“Mello” Monday !
11/7 /17
And now batter up for Sotheby’s , London , “mui grande” fall rug, carpet and textile sale featuring pieces from the “Alexander Coll”.
The big day has come and gone and fortunately for Ms’s Coulter & Douglas it was a fairly successful endeavor . In particular the “Alexander coll.” items , which for the most part sold well over their high pre- sale estimates . This however was not a surprise . More that a few well over those somewhat realistic starting figures.
As for the sale itself , of the 154 total lots run across the podiumn only 55 failed to attract any attention . A sold precentage of right at 64%. A very respectable turn of events for the Sotheby’s rug dept. Going through the results a few times one thing i did notice was Persian city and tribal pieces seemed to make up the majority of the unsold lots , just an observation .
One more thing !
Other than the action on the “Alexander Coll.” items the rest of the sale was for the most part lackluster but still positive .
Generally speaking i think the folks at the Sotheby’s rug dept.and the Alexander estate in particular should be very pleased with the auction outcome and the impressive prices fetched by some of the lots included in the sale .
To that point a “tip of the hat” and a job well done to all involved !
As for the items i featured in the earlier review all sold . Two did very well , one just a modest return for the consigner .
Lot # 7 Central Anatolian frag. Pre-sale est.£ 6-9,000.00 . Sold for £ 23,750.00 Alexander coll , no surprise here .
Lot # 58 Central Anatolian frag. Pre-sale est. £ 3-5,000.00 . Sold for £4,000.00. None Alexander item , sold right in the zone. I really thought it would do better .
Lot # 78 East Anatolian runner frag. Pre-sale est. £ 28-40,000.00 . Sold for a very impressive £ 309,000.00 . My favorite piece in the sale and a well deserved outcome .
So there you have it , now next up Grogan and Rippon on down the road !
The constant battle against procrastination and indecision intensifies with no let up in sight ! , Sheik Frederich , 2017.
Movie o the week , Cadillac Records , 2008 .
Song o the week , Stormbringer , Through These Eyes on Born a Dying Breed , 2017.
Tweet Read More10/16/17 Could A , should A , would A , and then there were none !
10/16/17
10/17/17
Moderately interesting piece of textile news to start the new week .
Tremont auctions , Newton Ma. held a 2 day general Asian art sale on Oct. 14 -15th and one item included in the 2nd day of the sale inventory caught my eye.
Lot # 912 , embroidered “Chinese” throne back (18th century) with a pre-sale estimate of $1-2,000.00 rocketed to a sold price of $30,000.00 + comm. Obviously under estimated by the Tremont staff and a nice upside surprise for the consigner !
10/18/17
10/19/17
Possible new O.C.G. client !
10/20/19
10/21/17
10/22/17
Another quiet Sunday !
10/23/17
9 am. West coast time .
So here we go.
Skinner’s Fall Classic “ major “ rug & textile auction is off to the races and for all intents and purposes it looks like Mr Kearny and staff have another winner on their hands . For starters i did not think very highly of the sale inventory because of the lack of top shelf collectors items included in the group but by all accounts i was off the mark on that one!
Out of the approx. 361 total lots offered up for your bidding gratification only 65 failed to find new homes . A sold percentage of right at 82 % .
As for the sale itself most of the lots that sold , sold in the neighborhood of their pre-sale estimates which for mid -range merchandise is to be expected . A modest hand full of the lots did sell over their high estimates but not enough to make serious difference in the sale outcome. Two lots, #’s 13 & 84 could be considered moderate upside surprises but on the down side only 3 lots cracked the $10 K treshhold . So there you have it , not quite as successful as some of their past sales but still a pretty good outcome for Skinner’s Inc, and certainly a very positive result , in my opinion !
One last thing . Perhaps if Skinner’s focased a portion of their sights on the high end it would affect the sale outcome in a positive way and the overall sale total would be higher .
10/24/17
104 today !
Now for the sale i have been waiting for !
Sotheby’s , London held their “Hodgkin” auction today and from a rug , carpet and textile point of veiw it was a rousing success .
To start with all the carpets and carpet fragment lots sold which because of the high quality of the pieces themselves was to be expected . However 2 tapestry lots and 2 textile lots failed to attract any attention . Most all the pile pieces sold over their high pre-sale estimates many way over . The complete sale in general was very successful for Sotheby’s . The large collection of Islamic tiles were very strong with quite a few selling for many times over their high side , pre- sale estimates . If you want to see a realy great personal coll. check out the full results with prices fetched on the Sotheby’s website . Its well worth your time !
As for the pieces i featured in the earlier review , all sold very well.
Lot # 222 , Joshugan carpet frag. Pre-sale est. £ 3-5,000.00. Sold for £ 17,500.00. No surprise here and well worth it .
Lot # 241 , “ Von Hirsch “ cpt. fragment . Pre- sale est. £ 80-120,00.00. Sold for £ 224,750.00 . An important piece , not a surprise and again well worth the final figure .
Lot # 447 , Caucasian Sumak couch . Pre -sale est. £ 1-2,000.00 Sold for £ 5,000.00 . Way cool. To bad it was so far away from me !
10/25/17
Todays Islamic Art sale at Sotheby’s , London is in the books now and and from an overall stand point it appears it was moderately successful for them. There was a noticeable amount of unsold lots but that said the Islamic Art arena seems to still be fairly strong and substancial number of the various sold lots garnered prices well into 6 figures . Lot numbers 1 , 14, 23, 90, 98, and 195 to name a few . As for the 5 Islamic textile lots i mentioned in the earlier post , 4 sold , 1 failed to attract any attention .
Lot # 159 Ottoman Catma panel . Pre-sale est. £ 80-120,000.00 sold for £ 100,000.00 . Just not in the same league as the pieces that sold for big numbers in an earlier sale ?
10/26/17
The “Islamic” and “Indian” art auction including oriental carpets at Christie”s , London just wrapped up and from the point of view of the rugs. carpets and textiles included in the offering it was only moderately productive for Ms Broadhurst and staff . Out of the 64 total lots of rugs and carpets included in the inventory just 39 ended up selling . A decent sold percentage of right at 60% . Nothing to celebrate about but not bad either . As i figured some of the lots with aggressive pre-sale estimate found trouble attracting bidding action and failed to sell. Note lot #’s 284 , 287 , 301 and 302. East Turkestan and Chinese pieces were a weak spot in the group. However to be fair some of the pieces with high starting points did sell , but for the most part right in their predicted ranges . One lot # 307 did pop up a bit but thats about it for highlights .
As for the 3 susani’s in the group 2 sold , but only 1 of the 3 textiles did .
Concerning the one lot i featured in the earlier review , lot # 298 , it failed to sell. I guess no one saw the humor i did !
In the end a decent outcome for the Christie’s rug dept. but but iam sure considering the presale buzz they were hoping for a more up beat outcome . Oh well , maybe next time !
One more thing !
All eyes on San Francisco for the start of this years ART’s fair .
Good luck to all the exhibitors .
10/27/17
Up next , Sotheby’s NYC , “Collections” .
So the sale is underway and so far as far as rugs and tapestries go , up to this point its a clean sweep for the Sotheby’s rug dept. Not really a grand undertaking for the rug dept. but all 6 pieces included in the sale inventory attracted bidders and ended up seliing. To that end though , they sold at or near their pre-sale estimates. Unfortunately nothing at all in the way of an upside pop to create excitement , things just ended up true to form !
Out of the 6 tapesties included in the offering five sold , one did not. Something worth noting , the prices fetched on the tapetries seemed to be stronger across the board , more so than the rugs in the sale . Just better more desirable items i guess !
The one lot i featured in an earlier post did sell , abet just below the low end of the. pre-sale estimate .
Lot # 88 , Caucasian Shield cpt. , pre-sale est. $ 50-80,000.00 . Sold for a modest $ 47,500.00. I really thought this piece would do better , but alas it’s not to be , this time out !
So far it looks like things are moving in a positive direction at the Friday night opening of ART’s , San Francisco. !
Now if business will just decide to attend ?
10/28/17
For your viewing pleasure !
10/29/17
Standard Sunday let down , unless your in San Francisco !
Keep in mind if you can’t “get” it then you will not understand “it” and you most likely could not comprehend “it” anyway,, its possilble you may never get “it” and you never really will , wise up , Sheik Frederich , 2017 .
Movie o the week , Whiskey Tango Foxtrot 2016 .
Song o the week , Coven , Wicked Woman on Witchcraft , 1969 .
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10/9/17 Fast track on the road to ruin !
10/9/17
Welcome to the calm before the storm !
10/10/17
10/11/17
10/12/17
The much antisipated “ on the line” preview of the upcoming Sotheby’s , London , Major fall rug , carpet and textile auction scheduled on Nov.7th is finally available for you viewing pleasure. So what Ms Coulter and Ms Douglas have assembled is a collection of 154 total lots of all types of collectable and decorative oriental weavings .
O K , after a few passes through the sale inventory i have mixed feelings about the group in general. For starters there is plenty of rug mob buzz about the 20 lots from the “ Alexander Coll. “ which “should” create plenty of biding action . After that however the rest of the sale inventory is just not that exciting , in my opinion ! There are certainly a nice selection of better pieces but the C.A. Coll. items aside there no real stand out examples in the rest of the auction inventory , once again , just my opinion . Nothing at all in the way of Turkmen or Baluch items in the group either ? No i am not being overly negative and i do think this sale should do pretty well but i do think the “Hodgkin” sale on Oct. 24th is much more interesting and presents far more opportunities !
That being said 3 lots that did capture my attention all Turkish , are posted below.
Lot # 7 , Central Anatolian frag. . Pre- sale est. £ 6-9,000.00. A realistic estimate and my favorite piece in the sale , C.A. Coll. Should do well .
Lot # 58 Central Anatolian rug frag. Pre -sale est. £ 3-5,000.00 . Reasonable starting point. Striking eye appeal and not C.A. Coll.
Lot # 78 , East Anatolian runner frag. Pre- sale est. £ 28-40,000.00 . Moderately aggressive pre- sale estimate but i have always really liked this piece ! C.A. Coll.
Sotheby’s , London also has another sale scheduled on Oct. 31st ( Halloween ! ) titled “Collections” that features 17 unimportant rugs and 10 tapestries , if it matters . Minor really unless your bored or need shop stock .
10/13/17
Out of town visitors and commerce .
10/14/17
Today’s Austria Auction Co. sale is a wrap and unfortunately for Udo and the A.A.C. gang and from my point of view it was far from a raging success . According to the “liveauctioneers” posted results , out of the 223 lots run across the podium only 101 found new homes . A sold percentage of right at 46%. As i stated in the earlier review i did not think to much of the sale inventory and to a certain extent i guess i was right . Looking over the prices garnered i noticed many of the higher priced items that sold , sold well under their low pre-sale estimates . Note lot numbers , 2 , 158 , 168, 176 , and 184. Surely a disappointment for the consigners and the A.A.C. rug dept.
There was however one modest upside pop , lot # 60, Ersari main cpt. . Pre-sale est. € 1,5- 2,000.00 , sold for € 7,000.00 + comm. Nice but to little to late this time around . That’s about as far as sale highlights .
As for the 3 items i featured in the earlier post two sold , one did not .
Lot # 32 , Serab bag face . Pre-sale est. € 1,2-1,600.00. Sold for € 800.00 + comm. , well under its low pre-sale estimate . Maybe someone got a pretty good deal ?
Lot # 71, Shustar kelim . Pre-sale estimate € 1,8-2,400.00. Unsold .Was the design just to nervous ?
Lot # 176 , Karadashli main cpt. . Pre- sale est. € 17-25,000.00 . Sold for € 10,000.00+ comm. The consigner shurely can’t be happy with this outcome but the buyer might be !
So its back to the drawing board for Mr Langauer and staff and better luck next time .
10/15/17
Sunday quiet Sunday !
No worries , pesamistic optomisium is always present ! Sheik Frederich , 2017
Movie o the week , Out of the Past , 1947 .
Song o the week , Another 2 fur !
Heart , If Looks Could Kill on Heart , 1985 .
Primal Fear , If looks Could Kill on Best of Fear , 2017.
Tweet Read More9/18/17 , Time to ask yourself if it’s ever “cool” to play the “fool” ?
9/18/17
Another slow start .
9/19/17
9/20/17
Today’s Netherhampton sale is in the books but as usual nothing in the way of accurate posted results yet .
9/21/17
9/22/17
9/23/17
9/24/17
An interesting single owner sale is listed on the schedule at Sotheby,s , London on Oct. 24th .
The “Howard Hodgkin” collection .
This is a substancial offering consisting of 454 total lots of paintings , Islamic tiles and Islamic artifacts , 21 classic carpets / fragments and 15 classic tapestries and much, much more . I am not framilar with this artist / collector but judging from the quality of items in his collection he had a very good eye and the means to back it up. One thing worth noteing the pre-sale estimates on many of the carpets and rug fragment lots seem quite conservative so this sale should attract a lot of internation rug colector attention. This is easliy the most intesting sale on the auctiion calendar so far this fall season and well worth your while to take an extended look.
A few items that caught my eye are poste below .
Lot # , 222 , Joshugan carpet fragment . Cut and shut but still very good . Pre- sale est. £ 3-5,000.00 . Even with the condition issues still a very realistic estimate on a classic design piece .
Lot # , 241 , Von Hirsch cpt. fragment . Pre- sale est. £ 80-120,000.00. This piece speaks for itself .
Lot # , 447 Caucasian sumak upholstered couch . Pre-sale est. £ 1-2,000.00 . To my eye the coolest carpet item in the sale .
Sotheby’s , London also has another sale scheduled on Oct. 25th , titled “Arts of the Islamic World” . This sale does not include any pile rugs or flatweaves but it does feature 5 good Islamic textiles . One of which is another early Ottoman Catma panel ( lot # 159 ) with a pre-sale est. of £ 80-120,000.00. The last time they offered something of this ilk it did very well so it will be interesting to see what happens this time around !
9/25/17
Christie’s , London is also back in the game with an “Islamic Art” sale scheduled on Oct. 26th that features 3 Islamic textiles , 3 susani’s and 64 various rugs and carpets. After a few passes through the sale inventory my feeling is this is a good but not truly great sale selection. That said there are however some very good items included in the group but nothing in the way of a true standout piece. One thing i did notice was Ms Broadhurst and the Christie’s rug dept. were not bashful when posting some rather aggresive pre- sale estimates on some of the better pieces in the group. High pre-sale estimates have a problem in the past so it will be interesting to see if they pass muster this time out !
One lot i did find sort of interesting in a strange way is posted below .
Lot # 298 , Silk Chinese mat . Pre-sale est. £ 3-5,000.00 . Unimportant , but not something you see everyday !
9/26/17
9/27/17
In a most timely fashion the results from Netherhampton Salesroom’s Sept. 20th sale are live “on the line” now to futher your rug market knowledge .
So where to start , where to begin. Out of the approximately 407 lots offered up for your bidding pleasure appearently only 205 found new homes. A sold percentage of just over 50 % , right in line with their last sale that garnered a sold percentage of about 52% . One thing worth noting was that only 6 lots poped up over the £ 1,000.00 level. There were however a couple of modest upside surprises , lot #’s , 18 & 165 if your interested in things of this nature . So there you have the results of another run of the mill Netherhampton sale . Ms Barrett’ s next production is scheduled on Dec. 6th so mark it on your calendars cos ya don’t want to miss it !
9/28/17
Skinner’s auction house , Boston, Ma. has their upcoming Oct. 23rd rug, carpet and textile catalog live “on the line” now . This time around Mr Kearny has assembled an inventory of approx. 360 total lots of all manner of oriental rugs , carpets and a large selection of unusal textiles. After going over the sale inventory a few times my opinion is the roomsize pieces and the textile selection is most likely what could be considered the strength of the group. Nothing at all in the way of a barnburner collectors item included in the sale but still plenty of somewhat interesting items to peak your purchasing curiosity. As has been the “method of opperation” of L.K. and staff in the past they have gone out their way to keep the pre- sale estimates and starting prices on the conservative side to make things more interesring and give everybody a shot at getting what they want , which is good business and smart in a spotty rug market !
9/29/17
9/30/17
Next up Austria Auction House , Vienna Austria , Oct. 14th.
For this offering Mr Langauer and the gang have collected a decent size group of 225 lots of various rugs, carpets and flatweaves .
O K , so after a few passes through the sale inventory i did not see anything that could be considered a clear-cut , top-shelf collectors item. Thats not to say there are not more than a few pretty good pieces in the group but there is also plenty of mid to low end filler items included too . I did not know jajims were that popular but thats just me ? One thing worth mentioning , pre—sale estimates aside Udo has kept the starting price points on the realistic side for the most part this time out . Crafty in a soft market !
A. few lots that Peaked my interest are featured below .
Lot # 32 , Serab bag face . Pre-sale est. € 1,2- 1,600.00 . Starting point € 800.00 . To my eye very “cool “ graphic design !
Lot # 71 , Shustar kelim . Pre-sale est. € 1,8- 2,400.00 . Starting point , € 1,000.00 . Blinding graphics ?
Lot # 176 , Karadashli main carpet . Pre-sale est. € 17- 25,000.00 . Starting point € 10,000.00. Easily the most interesting Turkmen included in a weak group. Just my opinion !
10/1/17
10/2/17
Getting even more crowded on the fall auction calendar Sotheby’s , NYC has a sale titled Collections , “European Decorative Arts” scheduled on Oct. 27th that includes 6 carpets and 6 classic tapestries. One thing to ponder , the lot discriptions on the rugs included iin this sale are spotty at best ? Nothing earth shattering really but a couple of the pieces might attract a bit of international attention , particularly lot # 88 which is posted below .
Lot # 88 , Caucasian Shield carpet , 18th century . Pre- sale est. $ 50-80,000.00. Cut and shut but still a good example .
10/3/17
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10/6/17
10/7/17
Out of town visitors and possible commerce .
10/8/17
Something to think about . When your dealing with the misguided miscreants on the left who are wannabe progressives there are street smart people on the right to level out the balence ! , Sheik Frederich, 2017
Movie o the week , Hidden Figures , 2016 .
Song o the week , L A Guns , Speed on The Missing Piece , 2017 .
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9/13/17 , Being aloof is an art form !
9/13/17
Travel day , smooth so far !
The results from yesterdays Nagel sale are posted hot off the presses and up ” on the line” now for your futher education of the the current and up to date rug market. Out of the 156 rug and carpet lots offered up for your biding pleasure 91 found new homes . A sold percentage of right at 59% . Quite a bit better than the sale at the Dorotheum on the same day . One thing worth noting , there was a substancial group of Tibetian carpets in the first part of the sale and they did not sell well at all. Two Baluch soffre’s ( # 80-82 ) with very conservative pre- sale starting points sold far over those figures and were two of the only highlights of a fairly ordiniary Nagel offering. Thats about it as far as upside fireworks go .Most everything else that sold in the sale brought figures at or near their starting price points. Granted from a collectable standpoint this was a modestly more interesting assortment than the Dorotheum offering but it also did not include even one top notch collectors piece. That said it is still a moderately better outcome for the Nagel rug dept , so good for them .
As for the 2 Lakai lots i mentioned in the previous post ( lot #’s 146-148 ) as you would surmise both went unsold for obvious reasons !
In the end another boring run of the mill rug auction but never fear better days ahead !
Easy on time in and no one in the seat next to me !
Here’s “lookin” at ya !
9/14/17
The NYC rug market is getting more and more fragmented by the moment with many locations closing down intown because of escalating rent issues and dealers moving to Long Island and Jersey . This ultimately makes it far more difficult to navigate with the ever worsening traffic problems . Fortunately things are still tuning up.
R.I.P. , Jurg Rageth your monumental publication on Turkmen rugs ( Turkmen Carpets , A New Perspective ) will stand the test of time !
9/15/17
Decent weather and a positive outcome to a short sojourn on the east coast , what more could you ask ?
Go with god , Harry Dean Stanton , an Ameriacan icon . Your legacy will live forever !
9/16/17
Travel day and the return to Khaos !
Traffic in and out of the city was brutal .
Flight back was ontime , smooth and early in , nice. Once again no one in the seat next to me !
9/17/17
One hot moment !
Quiet Sunday to end the week at OCG.
An “out of control” social consience is an unhealty and dangerous thing ! , Sheik Frederich , 2017.
Movie o the week , Glory Road , 2006 .
Song o the week , Danzig , Last Ride on Black Laden Crown , 2017 .
Tweet Read More8/28/17 , Know everything, cop to nothing !
8/28/17
Hot , humid but no action .
8/29/17
/30/17
8/31/17
9/1/27
The last long hot holiday weekend of the summer is upon us !
9/2/17
9/3/17
Most humid day of the year ,so far !
9/4/17
The Sept. 12th sale inventory for the rug, carpet and textile auction at the “Palais Dorotheum” , Vienna , Austria is live ” on the line ” now for your viewing pleasure. This time around the sale consist of 207 total lots of rugs , carpets and textiles. At first glance the pre-sale opening numbers are not particularly friendly but its not where you start its where you finish ! Unfourtunately as it been in the past few sales with this auction house after going over the lots a couple times this is just another sale geared toward the European retail rug market. Nothing at all in the way of a serious collectors piece in the entire sale inventory . Just a large selection of late 19th , early 20th century items in good “European” condition . Alas another boring rug auction to my eye . However opinions can and do vary !
One othe thing worth noting . This sale is on the same day as the Nagel sale , smart business or NOT ?
9/5/17
9/6/17
9/7/17
More rug and carpet drivel to consider !
Netherhampton Salesroom’s , Salisbury , U.K’s next rug and carpet auction scheduled on Sept. 20th is up and ready for your close and careful scrutiny . This time out Ms Barrett and staff have assembed a collection of approamately 407 lots of variuos rugs , carpets and all manor of ethnic flatweaves and textiles but as usual with a Netherhampton offering nothing in the way of a topnotch collectors item in the complete sale inventory . Just another run of the mill , shop stock , flea market asssortment and to my eye a little weaker than usual . That said it’s still a large group so it maybe worth your while to take A quick look you could come across something that strikes your fancy .
Post script on “the salesrooms “post sale results .
Seems the July 12th sale was not nearly as successful as they first posted on ” the saleroom ” site . Out of the 345 total lots run over the podiumn apparently only 180 actually found new homes . Far less than the first reported on their site . A sold percentage of more in the range of 52% . Not bad but a far cry from the first indication .
One more detail only 6 lots broke the £ 1,000 level not 16 , to bad , sorry !
As for the 3 lots i featured, 2 sold ( #’ 328 & 377 ) . Lot # 463 failed to find a buyer .
9/8/17
The updated “ART’s” site , 2017 with all the pertinent info is now up and “runnin” !
9/9/17
9/10/17
Lack of activity relief ?
9/11/17
Never forget !
9/12/17
Both Nagel & “Palais Dortheumn” are underway as we speak but nothing in the way of results quite yet .
O K , so the Dorotheumn is first on the boards with posted results and as i figured this sale did not go well for them at all . Out of the 207 total lots run across the podium appearently only 95 ended up selling . This works out to a sold percentage of right at 47 % .That said a few of the lots did post pretty good prices but in my opinion not enough to push the offering into a real postive outcome. Late Persian city pieces and other comercial items were the bulk of the lots sold . So as i stated another moderately successful but boring European rug auction and that as they say it that .
Also new i phone day !
If your scared of the answer don’t ask the question ! , Sheik Frederich , 2017 .
Movie o the week , Invincible , 2006 .
Song o the week , Otis Redding , (Sittin’on) The Dock of the Bay on The Dock of the Bay , 1968 .
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7/31/17 Resist the resistance !
7/31/17
Back on line and bang-in !
Via Con Dios , Melvin “Deacon” Jones , who played with the likes of , John Lee Hooker , Greg Allman , Curtis Mayfield and so many more .One of the greats on the Hammond B-3 and a great friend too ! You will be missed .
8/1/17
8/2/17
8/3/17
8/4/17
Nagel Auction , Stuttgart , Germany has a teaser preview up online now for their Sept.12th rug and carpet sale unfortunately what they are showing is not particularly interesting , but time will tell !
8/5/17
8/6/17
Sunday , quiet Sunday !
8/7/17
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8/11/17
8/12/27
8/13/17
The return !
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8/21/17
A very interesting take on todays solar eclipse !
8/22/27
Austria Auction Company, Vienna , Austria’s unreserved online rug and carpet sale is underway and at this precise moment and up to this point most everything offered up is selling. Granted alot of these things are garning give away prices but as i always say sold is still sold . Now all there is to do is monitor the full results and tally the final outcome.
So Udo’s sale just finished up and the posted “liveauctioneers” figures show every lot got bids and every lot possibly found a buyer . If these stats hold up and everyone pays then it’s certainly a job well done by the Austria Auction Co. gang . Like i said earlier a large portion of the items in the offering sold at very conservative prices but for the most part they were low end , shop stock , house cleaning grade items anyway so modest prices were to be expected . In the end still a good outcome for Udo and staff so a tip of the hat to them !
Next up their fall “major ” sale on Oct. 14th . Hopefully some topshelf items ?
8/23/17
Christie’s , NYC’s “Living with Art” sale has just wrapped up and for all intents and purposes it turned out very well for them . Out of the 27 lots of rugs and carpets run over the podium all ended up finding new homes . Granted this was a small offering but 100 % sold is still 100 %. There was really nothing of any particlar importance in the group or any significant up side surprises but some of the pieces did garner pretty good prices. So in a quiet summer rug market still a very nice outcome for Ms Parker and the Christie’s rug dept . Kudos to you !
8/24/17
As for the fall rug and carpet auction season Nagel Auction , Stutgart , Germany is first out the gate with their fall catalog live “on the line” now. The group includeds 156 lots of rugs , carpets and all manor of flatweaves and unusual ethnic textiles plus 27 lots of Islamic art and objects. Unfortunately there is not one star piece in the entire sale inventory. Don’t get me wrong there are a handful of moderately interesting items in the group but nothing at all to get the “rug mob” buzzing . One thing worth noting for the most part they have kept the pre- sale estimates on the coservative side except for a couple of Lakai pieces , lot #’s 146 and 148 of which they are particularly proud of. Other than that a fairly unremarkable sale.
All said and done another mediocre Nagel auction but we still hope they post good results on game day !
Lot # 148 Lakai square . Pre- sale estimate € 5,500.00 . Must be great in person !
8/25/17
8/26/17
Out of town visitors and commerce .
8/27/17
Another quiet Sunday !
Parting shot
Still nothing as far as updated details on the Oct. 27th-29th ART’s show in SanFrancisco ?
Its not that the right is so right , it’s that the left is stuck in the darkcavern of “tunnel vision” and so are the misinformed “wannabe” intellectuals and they can’t seem to find their way back ! , Sheik Frederich .
Movie o the week , The Boondock Saints , 1999 .
Song o the week , The Chambers Brothers , Time Has Come Today on The Time Has Come Today , 1967 .
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