7/8/19 , Feel the Burn ? , Dowse the Flame !!
7/8/19
Nothing but nothing in the dog days of slow summer !
7/9/18
So far this is what i have come up with for the start of the fall rug season , not much yet !
Dorotheum , Vienna , Austria has a sale scheduled on Sept. 10th
Nagel , Stuttgart , Germany has a sale scheduled on Sept. 17th .
Christie’s , London has their fall sale scheduled on Oct. 24th .
That’s , that for now but i am sure there is far more to come.
7/10/19
7/11/19
7/12/19
7/13/19
7/14/19
Sunday hyjinx !
7/15/19
7/16/19
7/17/19
7/18/19
7/19/19
Sad news today !
R.I.P. , Rutger Hauer actor supreme , known for his famous role as the one and only Roy Batty in the science fiction classic “Blade Runner” , 1982 . Gone but never to be forgotten !
7/20/19
7/21/19
More Sunday mischief !
7/22/19
7/23/19
Hot and humid !
7/24/19
7/25/19
7/26/19
7/27/19
7/28/19
Have a peaceful Sunday !
Up to this point little or no fresh news in the stalled and stagnant rug universe !
Dog o the week
Number 1 canine in D.C. !
The wrong memories can by life threatening ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Hotel Artemis , 2018. 4 poopsickles out of 5 . Dumb at best , what was Jodie Foster “thinkin” on this one , payday perhaps ?
Movie o the week , Senna , 2010. The story of the life and tragic death of 3 time Formula One champion Ayrton Senna . A great but also very sad story and a must if your a racing fan !
Song o the week , Nina Simone , Save Me on Silk and Soul , 1967 .
Read More
6/17/19 , WWW. Bring back the Shah. com !
6/17/19
slow very , very slow !
6/18/19
6/19/19
“Wannenes” Art Auctions , Milano, Italy held their specialized rug and carpet sale today that featured 89 various items but unfortunately it did not prove to be a particularly successful production for them . According to “invaluable’s” unaudited , posted results of the 89 total lots offered only 34 ended up attracting bidder attention . A sold percentage of right at 39%. Far from the outcome i am sure they had hoped for . Granted this was a fairly small offering but a poor result is still a disappointment as far as i can see.
There were however a couple of nice upside pops , lot #’s 42 and especially # 81 but not nearly enough to turn the outcome around . Lot # 58 also sold well .
That as they say is that !
So , hats off to the “Wannenes staff” on a Nobel effort and better luck next time !
6/20/19
Bravo ! U.S. Woman’s Soccer Team on their 2 , nil victory over Sweden today . Keep the rock keeps rollin !
6/21/19
On any given Sunday !
6/22/19
Well Udo and the gang at A.A.C., Vienna Austria just booked in another fairly successful venture today .
As far as the full sale goes , out of the total 172 lots offered approximately 130 ended up selling according to “Liveauctioneer’s” posted and unaudited results. A sold percentage of right ay 75% , inline with their other 3 sales earlier this year.
As for the split sale inventories the Pre- Columbian / Bolivian selection did far better than i thought it would . Out of the 59 lots offered 44 sold and the “reserve technique tie dyed” pieces in the inventory sold very strong . On the other hand the Bolivian coca bags were very weak . They are just not popular these days like they were 25- 30 years ago.
Concerning the rugs and carpets in the second portion of the sale out of the 113 items on the block 86 found new homes .
A couple of things worth mentioning .
For a change Caucasian pieces held there own but Turkish kelim fragments were on the weak side . Perhaps to many passed through the markets lately?
Also nothing at all in the way of a serious upside pop to excite the international Rug-Mob .
Just another workman like result for Udo and the gang at A.A.C. . That said keep up the good work !
6/23/19
6/24/19
Once again , Bravo to the Woman’s Soccer Team today on their 2 , 1 victory over Espana . The streak lives on !
Hali Fair , 2019 . Out the gates and up and “runnin” . Good Luck and good Time”s to all who attend !!
6/25/19
6/26/19
6/27/29
6/28/19
A well deserved “Bravo” to the U.S.Woman’s Soccer Team on their 2 , 1 victory over France today . Onward to the quarters !
6/29/19
6/30/19
That’s a wrap for the Hali fair and from what hear it went pretty well !
Fairly strong turnout and some exhibitors did reasonably well , some not so much but from what i understand everybody had a good time which is all you can hope for so , Cheer’s to them one and all !!!
7/1/19
7/2/19
Another Big win for the U.S. Woman’s Soccer Team with a 2 , 1 victory over England and a trip to the finals , Bravo !
7/3/19
7/4/19
The rock rolled on in “Costa Mesa” today in a big way !
Happy 4th of July anyway !!!
7/5/19
More and heavier “Rockin” in Costa Mesa today !!!
7/6/19
7/7/19
And there you have it , U.S. Woman’s Soccer Team are “world cup champs” today with a 2 , nil victory over the “Netherlands Team”, in Lyon , France . What more can you say” , win-in is great !
DOG o the week
Chillin on a holiday weekend !
Dimi’s , party of “people” who spit or scream at other humans when they are out in public , Progressive really progressive ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019 .
Shitty movie o the week , Bad times at the El Royale , 2018. 3.5 out of 5 poopsickles . Not really bad but jumbled and it drags .
Movie o the week , The Missing , 2003. ,
Song o the week , Seasons of the Wolf . Drifter on Last act of Defiance , 2018.
Read More5/30/19 , The race down the road to mental freedom ?
5/30/19
Smack in the middle of the summer slow down !
Bruun Rasmussan , Bredgade ‘s Auction House in Copenhagen , Denmark held their general antique sale yesterday and as far as the rug and carpet portion of the sale goes they posted mixed results . It’s no surprise the room size and decorative rugs attracted the most bidding attention.
However the 2 items i featured in the previous sale review , lot #’s 349 Susani and # 404 Tekke Khalyk both failed to find buyers . This was a surprise to me but thats the way it goes sometimes !
5/31/19
More bad news in the music world .
Via con dios , Rock music “innovator” Roky Erickson . Founding member of the legendary “13th Floor Elevators “ and Roky Erickson and the Aliens . You created a unique sound that inspired many modern day rock musicians and your sound will continue to inspire for the eternity!
6/1/19
Summer’s here !
6/2/19
6/3/19
6/4/19
6/5/19
6/6/19
Another major loss in the music world !
R.I.P. , Dr Malcolm “John” Rebennack jr . “The Night Tripper” . New Orleans “sound” legend . You played with literally everyone worth playing with in the blues , boogie-woogie world and are already missed ! Have some heavenly “gumbo” fo me !
6/7/19
6/8/19
Henry’s Auktionhaus , Mutterstadt , Germany just finished up their late spring “ major” rug and carpet sale today and i have to say it turned out somewhat better for them than i thought it would but they have been on a bit of a roll lately !
Out of the 442 total lots passed over the podium only 130 failed to attract bidding attention according to “liveauctioneer’s ” unaudited posted results which can of course be flawed . A sold percentage of right at 70% , is very good considering the quality of the sale inventory. As i stated in the earlier sale review it was overloaded with Chinese and Tibetan items and it’s a good thing it was as they were definitely the strong point of the whole sale. Nothing in the way of serious upside surprises but many of the Chinese and Tibetan lots sold with in the somewhat optimistic pre-sale estimates at pretty strong prices .
As its been lately the late date Caucasian carpets in good condition continue to be the weak link .
All said and done a fairly successful production once again for the Henry’s rug dept. so “kudos” to them !
6/9/19
6/10/19
6/11/19
Bravo ! U.S. Woman’s Soccer team on their 13 , nil victory over Thailand today . Historic ,
6/12/19
Udo and the gang at A. A. C. are back in the game again for like the 4th time this year with another sale titled “ Fine Antique Oriental Rugs , XVI scheduled on June 22nd at their Vienna gallery . This time around the sale inventory consist of 172 total lots that features 60 lots of Pre-Columbian textile items of all types . It appears to be a single owner collection . Unusual , but it could work .
As for the rest of the group unfortunately nothing special to get the international “Rug- Mob” buzzing. just more mediocre pieces with low starting points to garner bidding action . This however has been working for Udo and staff so if it’s not broke don’t fix it ?
Good luck !
6/13/19
6/14/19
6/15/19
6/16/19
Again , Bravo ! U.S. Woman’s Soccer team on a 3, nil victory over Chile today. Keep it up !!!
Head’s up , Udo , maybe it will bring you Luck !
Dog o the week ,
There is alway’s a dilemma somewhere you just have to watch where you step or you will find it ! Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , The Tribes of Palos Verdes . 3.5 poopsickles out of 5 . Just not very good and it drags !
Movie o the week , Quiet Storm , The Ron Artest Story , 2019.
Song o the week , 13th Floor Elevators , You’re Gonna Miss Me on The Very Best of the 13th Floor Elevators , 1966.
Dr John , Right Place Wrong Time on In the Right Place , 1973 .
Read More
5/20/19 “Runnin” from trouble , in the wrong direction !
5/20/19
More unfortunate news to start the week !
Via con Dios , Andreas Nikcolaus ( Nicki ) Lauda . Three time Formula One champion and all time great racing legend . You are all ready missed , but never forgotten !
5/21/19
Excursion preparations underway .
5/22/19
Arrived early , but substantial traffic negates all time gains !
5/23/19
Great weather to start the day.
On the streets and everybody i meet up with is in a particularly good mood .
A few of positive items have presented themselves so far.
5/24/19
A handful of items purchased but far from a wildly successful venture on the East Coast this time !
5/25/19
Saddled up and on the way home !
But more important to the members of the international rug and carpet community todays Rippon – Boswell “ Major “ spring rug, carpet and textile sale is under way as we speak .
Now we wait for the results !
So the unaudited results are live “ on the line “ at Liveauctioneer’s now and it looks like a moderately successful outing for Mr Maltzahn and staff. Out of the 253 total lots offered approximately 102 failed to garner bidding interest . A sold percentage of about 60% .Not bad , but not great either .
On the bright side there were a few exceptional upside pops , note lot #’s 79 , 100 and of course lot number 135 !
Said and done a decent job turned in by the R.B. Staff !
Lot # 135 , “Scheibe” Holbein cpt. Pre-sale est. € 23,9- 24,000.00 . Sold for € 180.000.00 . Easily the high water mark of the sale !
As for the lots i featured in the sale review 3 sold , 1 did not .
Lot # 41, Ningxia mat . Pre-sale est. € 2,2-2,300.00 . Sold for a well deserved € 5,000.00 .
Lot # 61, Turkmen mafrash . Pre-sale est. € 5,7- 5,800.00 . Sold for € 8,500.00 and well worth it !
Lot # 88, Ningxia runner . Pre- sale est. € 8,9- 9,000.00 . Passed , condition issues ?
Lot # 142 , Yomut kap . Pre- sale est. € 3,9-4,000. Sold for € 4,200.00 . In the zone.
5/26/19
Two things to consider today !
For starters the flight home . Smooth and on time .
And more unfortunate news to report upon returning home .
Rest in Peace ! Bart Starr , legendary quarterback and coach of the Green Bay Packers and of course Hall of Famer . 2 time Super bowl winner ( 1 and 2 ) and coach for 9 years . Your accomplishments will keep your legacy alive for ever !
On a more light-er note , Awesome finish to today’s Indy 500 race !!!
5/27/19
5/28/19
5/29/19
Freeman’s Auction , Philadelphia , Pa. held their “International” sale today that included 38 various oriental rugs and carpets one of which is worth a few lines .
9:05 am Cali. time.
Well ,the wait is over and the results are in.
Even with a 15 page analysis by the legendary A.U. Pope lot # 120 only managed to sell for $ 16,900.00 all in . I really thought this piece would do much better but there were some condition issues that may have affected the outcome , or someone got a pretty good deal on a rare and unusual carpet ?
Lot # 120 , Josheghan carpet , early 19th century. Pre- sale estimate $ 10-20,000.00 . Exceptional provenance and possibly unique.
Today’s parting shot !
Henry’s Auktionshaus , Mutterstadt , Germany has a rug and carpet sale scheduled on June 8th , 2019 that features 442 total lots of all manner of items for you to consider . After multiple passes through the sale inventory my first though is it’s way over loaded with Chinese and Tibetan pieces and a few of them are easily the most interesting items in the sale .
Next , to my eye everything else in the auction is for the most part , good condition , late pieces suitable for the European retail market . Not a top shelf collectors piece in the whole sale to indulge or excite the fickle international rug- mob.
One positive note on the overall offering . The pre- sale starting points seem to be for the most party fairly realistic with quite a few apparently having no reserve , better than nothing !
My final opinion of this sale is, it’s a large group of uninteresting pieces that if you are a serious collector you don’t need to worry about unless you are interested in Chinese or Tibetan pieces .
Dog o the week ,
Here’s Lookin at Yah , Kid !
What’s it like to be “A Stranger in a Stranger in a Land” and you can’t “Find My Way Home” ? Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Beyond White Space , 2018. 4.5 poopsickles out of 5 . Lot of cute girls but incredibly stupid !
Movie o the week, Streets of Fire , 1984.
Song o the week , Georgia Satellites , Keep Your Hands to Yourself on The Georgia Satellites , 1986.
Read More5/6/19 , “Bed Bug Eddy” rules the Dimi’s Party !
5/6/19
Looks to be a little on the slow side for the next week or two . 
5/7/19
5/8/19
5/9/19
5/10/19
5/11/19
5/12/19
Not much , but something !
Bruun Rasmussen Bredgade’s Auction House , Copenhagen , Denmark is staging a general antique auction on May 29th at their Copenhagen gallery .
So generally i flip through their auction inventories ( 48 total lots ) and there isn’t anything worth mentioning but it’s kinda quite out there right now and this time around i notice two lots that seemed at least somewhat interesting in this slow activity period .
Lot # 349 , Susani . Pre- sale estimate 70,000.00 kr ,= $ 7260.00 . Clearly no where near the oldest but far better than their usual level of items they offer.
Lot # 404 Tekke Khalyk . Pre- sale estimate a very realistic 50,000.00 kr = $ 7,540.35 . Again not the earliest but in my opinion the best collectors item in this limited group .
5/13/19
5/14/19
5/15/19
Today’s rug, carpet and textile sale at the “Netherhampton Salesrooms” Salisbury U.K. is in the books but as is their M.O. there are no audited , posted results as of yet. More on this in a few days .
5/16/19
Unfortunate news today !
Rest in peace , Ieoh Ming Pei , World renown architectural genius for 70 + years . His legacy will live on through all his outstanding design creations !
5/17/19
5/18/19
Mr Langauer and the gang at A. A. C. , Vienna ,Austria held their “Fine Rugs XV” sale today and as it’s been for them this year the sale went swimmingly well . Out of the 215 total lots offered up for sale only approximately 21 failed to garner any bidding interest . A sold percentage of right at 90% . Not quite as much of a clean sweep as the earlier sales this year but still very good which keeps the success streak alive .
A couple of things worth noting .
Nothing in the way of a serious upside pop and some of the items offered sold very , very inexpensively .
That said still a very commendable job by UDO and staff !
Concerning the two lots i featured in the earlier review both sold .
Lot # 182 , Ningxia frag. Pre- sale est. £ 6-800.00 . Sold for £ 2,800.00 . Closest thing to an upside surprise in the sale !
Lot # 187, Konya frag. Pre- sale est. £ 6-800.00 . Sold for £ 200.00 . Boy , the market has really fallen off on these once hot items !
5/19/19
Freedom Sunday !!!
Next up NYC !
Dog o the week ,
With about ever Dimi in the U.S.of A. running for president lets not forget to consider Nancy ( the cadaver ) Pelosi , Rashida ( the mouth ) Tlaib , or even Maxine ( the wig ) Waters , and don’t forget about me , this is America and even “The Damed” get a shot , Boo Yah ! Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , BlacKkKlansman , 2018. 3.5 poopsickles out of 5. I watched this movie a few times and i get exactly where S.L.was going with it but in my opinion this movie creates more racial issues than it’s trying to explain ?
Movie o the week , Oceans 8 , 2018 . Sandra the great , what more needs to be said and a pretty good flick to boot !
Song o the week , It’s a 2 fur ! , Boo Yah ! An interesting comparison ?
Jefferson Airplane , Somebody to Love on Surrealistic Pillow , 1967
Thunderpussy , Somebody to Love , single , 2019.
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4/29/19 , Closer to the end than the beginning?
4/29/19
The next debacle at the vaunted “Netherhampton Salesrooms” , Salisbury , U.K. scheduled on May 15th is live or dead your choice “ on the line” now for you viewing amusement ?
Well it’s pretty much more of the same this time around with “Ms Barrett and staff” assembling a sale inventory of approximately 313 total lots of pretty much anything you could think of in the rug , carpet and textile department except for anything in the way of a serious collectors item . As usual the illustrations leave much to be desired but with that being said and to be fair i did notice a few lots #’s 167, 210 and 254 ? that may need a closer look if you are in the vicinity at the time of the preview and sale .
All in all another standard mid-to low end Netherhampton offering !
4/30/19
5/1/19
First up today in the batters box , Sotheby’s , London and their “Art’s of the Islamic World” sale including rugs , carpets and textiles .
My first impression of this sale in general is this . After going through the complete sale inventory i noticed there were a large number of Islamic artifacts and painting that went unsold .
As for the textile lots they did pretty well with only approximately 7 not finding new homes .
Now for the rugs , susani’s and carpets in the group . Out of the 36 total items run across the podium 11 failed to garner any bidding action.Which turns out to be a sold percentage of right at 65% . Not terrible for a modest selection but nothing to write home about either.
One thing worth noting . Turkish and Persian items in the sale did O K , however the Caucasian lots in the group with common designs and aggressive pre- sale estimates for the most part went unsold , dragging the sold total down ! There were a couple of nice upside pops note , lot #’s 297 and 307 . Unfortunately thats about it for excitement in the rug portion of the sale .
As for the 2 lots i featured , lot# 157 , Safavid silk panel and lot # 285 , kuba prayer rug , both failed to sell .
A lot in the Islamic Art portion of the sale did catch my eye and i thought worth a mention !
Lot # 245 , Iznik tile , 16th century . Pre- sale estimate , £ 4-6,000.00 . Sold for £ 68,750.00 . These things have been hot lately and this one was a real beauty !
Next in line tomorrow , Christie’s !
5/2/19
The results for todays Islamic Art sale at Christie’s , London are up , running “ on the line” now. As i said in the earlier review i did not think much of the overall inventory but i have to say this offering with out any serious Turkmen or Tribal items of any consequence did somewhat better than i thought it would .
Out of the 78 rugs and carpets offered for your bidding pleasure only 18 failed to find new homes . A sold percentage right at a very respectable 76%.
Unfortunately the velvet panel market cooled off a bit and only 2 out of the 7 offered ending up selling . The Susani’s in the sale faired better with 3 out of 4 attracting bidding action.
One more thing to consider , it appears the better condition Mid century Caucasian rug market still seems to be a weak link in the general rug market .
The lot i featured in the earlier review did end up selling .
Lot # 225 , Mughal Pashmina rug frag. Pre- sale est. £ 15-20,000.00. Sold slightly over the high estimate at £ 25,000.00 .
There were also a few very nice upside pops .
Lot # 227 , Mughal Silk Cpt. Pre-sale est. £ 60-80.000.00 . Sold for a very nice £ 243,750.00 . Somewhere out there is a very happy consigner !
Lot # 228 , Mughal dais cover . Pre- sale est. £ 40-60,000.00 . Sold for £ 225,000.00 . Again very nice.
Lot # 237 , Lotto rug . Pre- sale est. £ 20-25,000.00 . Sold for £ 43,750.00 . Far over the high estimate but still not a bad purchase at this level for the new owner !
All said and done , “hats off” to Ms Broadhurst and staff for in “my opinion” a job well done !
5/3/19
Here you go with the one you been wait’in for !
Rippon-Boswell , Wiesbaden , Germany’s “Major Spring” rug ,carpet and textile auction and this time around in my opinion well worth the wait !
After numerous passes through the complete sale inventory it’s my opinion this is one of the most diverse and interesting assortments Mr Maltzahn and staff have put together in a few years . A nice selection of high end collectors items in many areas , some good mid range pieces for the un-rich collectors and yes a bit of filler but nothing much in the way of real dreggs which is very welcome .
One thing of note . The starting points on many of the mid- range items are very reasonable which is becoming a trend these days and is very appreciated by the bidding public !
There are far too many items i liked in this offering to post them all but i have listed a few of my favorites below. However if your really serious about rug collecting you need to spend sometime checking out all the items in this sale !
Lot # 41 , Ningxia mat . Starting point , € 2,300.00 . Classic look !
Lot # 61 , Turkmen mafrash . Starting point , € 5,800.00 . My favorite piece in the sale , but repiling ?
Lot # 88 , Ningxia runner . Starting point , € 9,000.00 . Repiled end might be an issue .
Lot # 142 , Yomut kap . Starting point , 4,000.00 . Very realistic .
5/4/19
5/5/19
Grogan day , here we go ! .
It’s go time so all we have to do is sit back and wait for the rug and carpet portion of the sale which is as usual at the tail end of the auction.
Well the verdict is in and the die is cast , out of the 95 lots run across the podium only 9 failed to attract bidding action . A sold percentage of right at 90% , inline with previous Grogan sales .
Worth noting 3 of the unsold lots were low end filler type Turkmens and Caucasians held their own for a change .No brake out upside pops but a very successful turn of events as far as rugs and carpets go.
Nice job ,M.G. and crew !
As for the lots i featured in the earlier post
Lot # 289 , Serapi carpet . Pre- sale est.$ 20-30,00.00 . Sold for $ 25,000.00 + comm. Based on the condition report i thought this piece would do better , but it looks like someone got a pretty good deal !
Lot # 216 , Senna prayer rug . Pre- sale est. $ 10-15,000.00 . Sold for a very reasonable $ 16,000.00 + comm. Again someone got a very good buy on this lot .Stunning and my favorite piece in the whole sale.
Lot # 412 , Turkish village rug . Pre- sale est. $ 4-6,000.00 . Sold under the lowest. At $ 3,250.00 + comm. Go figure on this one . Maybe not quite old enough !
Dim’s beware !!!!
Dog o the week !
Traveling the dimi path could certainly be considered an exercise in ignorance and and poor judgement ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Crazy Rich Asians , 2018 . 4.5 poopsickles out of 5 . What i want to know is in this age of political correctness why isn’t ever intelligent Asian in the U.S. insulted by this stupid movie !!!!!
Movie o the week , The Snowman , 2027. Righteous
Song o the week , Death Angel , The Pack on Humanicide , 2019.
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4/15/19 , The wrong memories can be life threatening !
4/15/19
Looks like it’s gonna be a slow holiday week !
4/16/19
4/17/19
Simply senseless !
I thought we were past this type of behavior !
4/18/19
4/19/19
Happy Passover !
Good thoughts on “Good Friday” , please !
4/20/19
4/21/19
Celebrate a Great Easter Holiday !
God speed , Sri Lanka !
4/22/20
Earth day ! Go Figure ?
4/23/19
4/24/19
Friday Fun ?
4/25/19
National Pretzel Day , partake !
God speed , Poway , Ca.
4/26/19
4/27/19
A.A.C. Is back at it with their 3rd rug auction of 2019 , Fine Antique Oriental Rugs XV , scheduled on May 18th at their Vienna , Austria auction gallery . This production includes 215 total lots of all types of rugs , carpets , textiles and flat weaves .
So here we go !
After multiple passes through the sale inventory my initial impression is the group is somewhat superior to the previous 2 sales . Not as much in the way of commercial decorative filler items included in the group and thankfully a modestly interesting selection of reasonably priced bona fide collectors pieces .
There are however a few other things to consider .
First off Mr Langhauer has keep up with his recent trend and kept the starting points on the very consevative side to fan the bidding flames . Which is of course good .
Next , unfortunately once again there are no clear cut , topshelf collectors items to get the international rug collectors excited . The most interesting pieces in the sale inventory are for the most part fragmentary . Some pretty good ones but still fragments .
Overall and in my opinion only this is a far more compelling selection than the two earlier sales which to me is a step back in the right direction for A.A.C. . Now lets see if it pays off as well considering how successful the first two sales of the year were for them ?
A couple lots i did go back to multiple times are featured below .
Lot # 182 , Ningxia Frag. Pre-sale starting point , € 200.00 . Rough but scarce.
Lot # 187 , Konya Frag. Pre-sale starting point , € 200.00 . Again distressed , but these used to be very popular !
4/28/19
Skinner’s “major” rug and carpet sale is under way and at the half way point the sale is doing fairly well . Not quite at the level of the previous 2 auctions that featured the “Newman coll.” pieces but good none the less .
That’s a wrap and the final outcome is very positive for Mr Kearney and the Skinner’s rug dept . At the finish not wholly as successful as the “Newman coll. complete sales totals but certainly a very good turn of events for them .
Out of the 382 + lots run across the podium only approxamately 68 failed to find new homes . A sold percentage of right at 82 %. Very respectable for an offering of this size in a somewhat stagnate rug market .
A couple of other things to consider !
First up , there were plenty of aggressive upside pops to lend excitement to the sale , note lot #’s ,15 , 19, 22, 28, 67,117,124 and 214 to name a few .
Next up , the Turkmens in the sale were weak as far as quality goes in general so that lead to modest sales overall and weak prices on those that did end up selling .
All that said this sale should be considered a very successful production for L.K. and crew which is certainly good for the overall rug market so , keep up the good work and KUDOs to you !
Concerning the 3 lots i featured in the earlier post all sold and well over their high estimates but still quite affordable !
Lot # 22 , Caucasian prayer kelim . Pre- est. $ 1-1,500.00 . Sold for a very reasonable $ 6765.00 . Nice for the new owner .
Lot # 113 , Holbein cpt. frag . Pre-sale est. $4-5,000.00. Sold for $5,535.00 . Condition issues or some one got a deal ?
Lot # 266 , Kurdish / Varamin salt bag . Pre- sale est. $ 1-1,200.00 . Sold for $3321.00 . Very realistic .
That , as they say is in fact that. Next in line , “on the line” is Christie’s and Sotheby’s . What more could you want !
Dog o the week
Caught and jailed !
Some people have no shame or morals !
If elected as president of Fresh , Clear , Wild Party my first act would be to add a stripper pole to the oval office so A. O. C. could make some extra $$$$$ , boo yah ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019
Shitty movie o the week , 4/20 Massacre , 2018 . 5 out of 5 poopsickles . Seriously unwatchable !
Movie o the week , Alpha , 2018 . A real winner !
Song o the week , Autograph , I Lost My Mind in America on Get Off Your Ass , 2017.
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4/8/19 Only a fool falls for a blatant and jaded opinion !
4/8/19
Solitude for the moment !
4/9/19
Today’s sale of the “Bauer Coll.” at the “Dorotheum” in Vienna , Austria just finished up and unfortunately for MR Matschek and the Bauer estate it did not turnout very well for them at all . Looking over the Dorotheum posted results , out of the 138 total lots passed over the podium only 44 ended up attracting any bidder interest . A sold percentage pf right at 32% .
As i stated in the previous post sale review this was a step in a different direction for the “Dorotheum” rug dept. who generally focus on for the most part late commercial good condition European style items .So even with the international collectors internet bidding action the collection just did not spark much in the way of real excitement .
For starters , one possible reason for the poor sale showing was on many of the pieces the pre- sale starting numbers were in the aggressive arena and considering the bulk of the coll. was a little on the late side for the fickle Turkmen collectors market these days this might must have put potential bidders off a bit .
Perhaps if the Bauer people would have been more realistic with their reserves things would have turned out better for them but with the majority of the collection being on the “Fresh” side , maybe not !
One other thing to consider.
It appears Mr Bauer never considered selling a piece now and then and upgrading to more advanced items which is a problem i have seen before with many other collectors ( i. e. Munkacsi ) who ignore prudent advice so the collection was full of items that were popular in years past but are considered unimportant these days and also because they are out of fashion and to “fresh” by todays finicky collector standards !
Oh well , live and learn !
Granted a few of the better pieces did sell ( even 2 aggressively estimated main carpets ) but there were “no” serious upside surprises.
In the end it was a tough day and a lot of work for Mr Matschek and the “Dorotheum” rug dept. with only very limited returns to show for it .
Better luck next time , if there is one !
As for the 3 lots i featured in the sale review , all sold .
Lot # 78 , Igdyr tentband frag. Pre-sale est. € 6-700.00 . Sold for € 563.00 . Someone got a bargain on this one !
Lot # 90 , Tekke Torba . Pre-sale est. € 3,6-4,000.00 . Sold for € 4,250.00 . Nice and in the realistic zone .
Lot # 133 , Tekke chuval ? . Pre-sale est. € 1,6- 2,000.00 . Sold for € 2,250.00 . Again a very good purchase for the new owner on my favorite piece in the sale !
4/10/19
Now for something far more promising !
Grogan & Co. , Boston, Ma is staging a general antique sale scheduled on May 5th that features 95 oerintal rugs and carpets from most all the major weaving areas .
So here we go .
My first thoughts about this sale inventory is it’s a fairly diverse selection for a modest size group with plenty of interesting items to consider and as is M.G.’s M.O. the pre-sale estimates are for the most part on the low / very realistic side . On the flip side there are no real clear cut , top shelf collectors items included to make the internet trolls go crazy , just a varied group of eclectic pieces .
That said for a relatively small assortment it’s far more compelling than many of the recent sales with far more lots . Just an opinion so be sure to check it out yourself and form your own opinion .
One other thing worth mentioning . There are 9 room size carpets and a couple of those look very good , in particular lot #’s 287 , especially 289 and maybe 294 .
A few of the lots i kept going back to are featured below .
Lot # 289 , Serapi carpet . Pre-sale estimate a very fair $ 20-30,000. Yes , a room size carpet but a particularly good looking one and if the condition as good as M.G. states a real winner if your in the market for a decorative item.
Lot # 297 , Possibly Senna prayer rug . Pre-sale estimate $ 10-15,000.00 . Closest thing to a top shelf barn burner item in the group. To me it’s very beautiful and my favorite piece in the sale , if it matters !
Lot # 314 , Konya village rug . Pre-sale estimate $ 4-6,000.00 . This should do very well !
Parting shot , although this is selection is limited in size i noticed 11 items worthy of a second or third look !
4/11/19
Next up in the batters box !
Skinner’s , Boston , Ma’s spring rug and carpet extravaganza scheduled on Apr. 28 is live “on the line” now to confuse your buying strategy even more.
On this occasion Mr Kearney & staff have assembled a collection of approximately 382 lots of all manner of rugs , carpets and textiles to tempt your mind ( if you have one ! ) and of course wallet !
First up i have to say this group also does not include a clear cut , tip top item to fire up the “Rug Mob” internet circle . What it does have going for it is a substancial selection of interesting pieces with very realistic pre-sale estimates which leads to the possibility of getting a decent buy on a pretty good piece .
After multiple passes through the auction inventory i will stand with my first impression that there is no single lot to make the collector circle stand up and bark but there are plenty of absorbing for you to consider.
I did however notice 3 lots lots i went back to more than once and they are featured below .
Lot # 22 , Caucasian prayer kelim . Pre- sale estimate $ 1,2-1,500.00 . Not particularly early but a very scarce item.
Lot # 113 , Holbein cpt. frag. Pre- sale estimate $ 4-5,000.00 . Maybe not as early as stated but still very good .
Lot # 266 , Kurdish salt bag , possibly Varamin ? Pre- sale estimate $1-1,200.00. Very snappy looking !
However after all that said and considering the number of pieces run across the podiums of all the auction houses so far this spring auction season other than a few early Chinese pieces nothing of any real serious collector consequence has been turning up in any of the auctions so far !
Which backs up the fact that locating fresh important , noteworthy pieces is becoming an increasing difficult task. This is of course just my opinion !
4/12/19
Great Friday !
4/13/19
4/14/19
Silent Palm Sunday !
Dog o the week .
Oh , No , not Pelosi again !
Pelosi net worth = 120,000,000.00
After all the commotion and people telling me i should do it i have given in and decided to run for President of the “U S of A” in 2020 under the banner of Fresh , Clear , Wild Party so when your making up your mind keep it in MIND ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Danger One , 2018. 4.5 poopsickles out of 5 . I don’t know what to say about this i should have just turned it off !
Movie o the week , The Grifter’s ,1991.
Song o the week , Trust Fund Baby , Sammy Hagar and the Circle on Space Between , 2019.
Read More4/1/19 Being superficial is a high “ART” form !
4/1/19
We are gonna start the fresh week with the “Liveauctioneer’s” posted results of the March 23rd , 2nd installment of the Rippon- Boswell , “Poppmeier” collection sale .
To start with if the “Liveauctioneer’s” posted results are accurate out of the 91 total lots offered only 16 failed to attract bidder interest which works out to a sold percentage of right at 82%. Very respectable considering how diverse and eclectic this group was. I am fairly sure some of the unsold lots will find new homes in the after sale as is the Rippon , M.O.
One thing worth noting on the outcome .
There was a substantial number of significant upside pops to lend excitement to the offering . Check out lot numbers 14, 28, 31, 32, 35, 44, 50, 64, 66, 71, and ( 84 ? ) which to a certain extent made up for the unsold lots.
As for the items i featured in an earlier post all sold . Two did very well , one not so much .
Lot # 32 , Aksaray kilim . Pre- sale estimate € 5-7,000.00 . Sold for € 44,280.00 including comm. One of the high water points of the sale and a real winner for the new owner !
Lot # 44 , Konya rug . Pre- sale estimate € 6- 8,000.00 . Sold for € 22,140.00 including comm. To my eye a very reasonable purchase for the new owner !
Lot # 56 , Karapinar kilim . Pre- sale estimate € 8-10,000.00 . Sold for € 7,995.00 including comm. looks like someone may have got a deal on this one !
In the end considering how eccentric this collection was its a pretty good job , well done by Mr Maltzahn and the Rippon – Boswell staff .
Kudo’s to them !
4/9/19 , 12 noon .
Late update !
With all the after sale action only 4 lots ended going unsold which raises the sold percentage to right at 95 %. So it appears Mr Maltzahn pitched a real winner for the “Poppmeier” estate !
Good for them and great for the rug and kilim collectors market in general !
4/2/19
4/3/19
Next up , here comes Sotheby’s , London with an Islamic Art sale titled “Arts of the Islamic World “ including oriental rugs and carpets on May 1st at their Bond st. gallery .
The sale inventory consist of approximately 16 assorted textile lots and 36 rugs and carpets . Unfortunately this just not a very interesting group as far as the rugs and carpets go. No bona fide stars included , what so ever . Nothing much in the way of Turkmen, which is very hot right now , early Chinese which is also very hot right now , Baluch which is on the come back trail or South Persian of any consequence .
To my eye just fairly decent but uninspiring selection . I expected better but you settle for what you get ?
After all that a couple of lots did peak my limited interest !
Lot # 157 Safavid silk panel , circa 1800 or earlier . Pre-sale estimate , £ 20-30,000.00 . My favorite lot in the sale selection .
Lot # 285 , Kuba prayer rug . Pre- sale estimate , £ 5-7,000.00 . Kinda “cool” item in a less than inspiring selection, in my opinion !
4/4/19
March 4th , “National Burrito Day” , celebrate !
4/5/19
Christie’s , London is up to bat next with an Islamic art sale titled “ Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds “ featuring oriental rugs and textiles scheduled on May 2nd at their London gallery .
Initial thoughts !
What Ms Broadhurst and crew have assembled this time out is a group consisting of 7 early velvets , which have been very popular lately , 5 textiles and susani’s and 78 various oriental rugs and carpets .
My first impression of this selection is it’s heavily over weighted with room size decorative carpets which it a bit of a disappointment for myself and i am sure for the members of the collectors market out there . Yes , there are some moderately interesting “collectable” style items in the group but the decorative pieces far out number them .
Like the Sotheby’s auction the day before this group is also void of any Turkmen , early Chinese , Baluch or other collectible tribal type pieces !
Also in my humble opinion in the limited number of items aimed at the serious international collectors market other than the Turkish items there is nothing that could be considered an exciting , important or scarce item to get them buzzing .
One caveat , there are 2 earlier Mughal pieces that could maybe create a bit of a stir !
Don’t get me wrong on this opinion , it’s not a slam .
There are plenty of good and moderately interesting lots in this very limited assortment and i am reasonably sure the sale should do well , but without a clear cut barn burner to create excitement who knows ?
That said i did keep going back to one lot .
Lot # 225 , Mughal Pashmina Carpet Frag. Circa 1640 . Pre-sale estimate £ 15-20,000.00 . To me by far the very best and most interesting thing in the entire sale .
4/6/19
4/7/19
Celebrate , “National Beer Day” , Boo Yah !
Next up the Dorotheum , Turkmen sale on April 9th !
A colorful Sunday ?
Dogs o the week !
If you didn’t know before , you surely don’t know now , take a step back survey the situation and please get an F-N clue ! ,
Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , The Spy Who Dumped Me , 2018 . 5 poopsickles out of 5 . Another movie made just for a pay day !
Movie o the week , The Inventor , Out for Blood in Silicon Valley , 2019. A grim story everyone should see !
Song o the week , Train, Train , Blackfoot on Strikes , 1979.
Read More3/25/19 , Rage on “ Loser “ rage on !
3/25/19
Calm sea’s for the moment !
3/26/19
“The Dorotheum” , Vienna, Austria is back in the game with a special sale scheduled on April 9th titled “ The Turkmen” , Schleswig-Holstein , Ingo Bauer coll.
For starters this is a bit of a step forward for the “Dorotheum” considering the type of items they usually have featured in their last few sales .
The collection consist of 138 lots of for the most part second half of the 19th century ordinary Turkmen items in “European market” condition. There are also a small number of Baluch and other tribal pieces none of which are of any great consequence .
After multiple passes through the collection inventory my feeling is this . Although this is a substantial group of items there is not even one clear cut barnburner to get the serious Turkmen collectors of the world excited. Yes , there are plenty of “nice” good condition intermediate pieces and a hand full of slightly earlier pieces , but nothing truly early and important which leads me to wonder is this whole collection or did they hold back this best pieces ?
One other thing .
For the most part the pre- sale estimates and starting points are realistic except for a few of the main carpets ( lot #’s 86 , 98 and 116 ) which seem very optimistic in a market where main carpets have been soft for quite awhile . Just an observation on my part !
That said i did notice a couple of lots i thought were mildly interesting and they are posted below.
Lot # 78 , Igdyr ? tentband fragment . pre- sale estimate € 6-700. Starting bid € 450.00 . Very reasonable !
Lot # 90 , Tekke torba . Pre- sale estimate , € 3,6- 4,000.00 . Starting bid € 3,000.00 . Ordinary but a better than average example .
Lot # 133 , cataloged as Tekke Chuval ? . Pre-sale estimate € 1,6- 2,000.00 . Starting bid € 1,400.00 . Not sure about the attribution on this one but with the unusual color scheme it could be very good , or not ! My favorite piece in the group !
All said and done it still took plenty of time and “shekel’s” to put this collection together so “good luck” to the owner / collector and the “Dorotheum” rug dept. !
Next up the agony of the A.A.C. Sale on March 30th !
3/27/19
3/28/19
3/29/19
Three cheers for political correctness !
3/30/19
The A.A.C. , Fine Antique Oriental Rugs , XIV” sale is under way now and up to this point ( lot # 150 ) Udo and gang are pitching a perfect game with no unsold lots , so far. Granted many of the prices fetched on the items are very reasonable if not give away but as i always say , sold is till sold and if this the direction A.A.C. is going it looks like the strategy is working .
Fini !
So we end the agony with only one passed lot according to the “Liveauctioneer’s” posted results which keeps Udo’s string of successful but uninteresting March, 2019 auctions alive and definitely kick- in , at 2 !
Worth noting , no real up side pops but with this commercial selection this was to be expected !
One more thing , i question lot # 1 ? Just a thought !
All in , this was a very positive endevor by Mr Langauer and staff and they are to be commended for moving a large amount of merchandise in a spotty rug market .
Hat’s off to you !!!
No how about a sale with a handful of more upscale important items to draw in the international collectors ?
3/31/19
And then there was Margarita !
Dog o the week , Things get weird-er ?
The cool wind of reality is blowing “RIGHT” in your face , you best get on board or get “LEFT” behind ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , No shit this week , hallelujah !
Movie o the week , Red Sparrow , 2018.
Song o the week , Freedom , Richie Havens , live version on the “Woodstock” movie soundtrack , 1969 , remastered 2009 .
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