3/5/18 Keep in mind , your fate hangs in the balance !
3/5/18
It’s still slow and looks to stay that way for the foreseeable future !
3/6/18
3/7/18
3/8/18
3/9/18
3/10/18
Rippon – Boswell , Wiesbaden , Germany held their “Poppmeier Coll.” sale today and initial “Liveauctioneer” posted reports make it look to be another rousing success for Mr Maltzahn and the Rippon rug dept . At this moment out of the 88 total lots offered for sale only 18 are left unsold . A very positive sale out come of right at 80%. As i figured the Moroccan items were weak . However as is the norm i am sure Mr Maltzahn is working the phones to move the unsold items .
As for the 2 lots i featured in the previous post both sold well over their high pre-sale estimates.
Lot # 14 , “Nidge” kilem frag. . Pre- sale est. € 3,5- 4,200.00 sold for a healty pop at € 9,000.00
Lot # 44 , “Yuncu” kelim . Pre- sale est. € 10- 12,000.00 . Sold for € 24,000.00 . A nice upside move but i still think the new owner got a decent deal on a great example , my favorite piece in the whole sale !
After a conversation since the sale concluded with Mr Maltzahn he told me he had a bit of luck with the majority of the unsold lots including the Moroccan items and only 6 lots remain unsold which pops the sold total up to 93% . A nice move to the upside on an already , job well done .
One more thing , if you have not seen the hard cover it’s first class too !
3/11/18
3/12/18
3/13/18
3/14/18
3/15/18
The truth , go Lizzy ?
3/16/18
3/17/18
Christie’s , N Y C has a general antique auction titled “ The Collector” scheduled on April 10th that includes 11 various rugs and carpets . Nothing earthshattering but one lot did attract my attention.
Lot # 371 , Caucasian Silk embroidery , possibly 18th century . Pre- sale estimate $15-20,000.00 . Blury illustration , piece is most likely far better in person !
3/18/18
3/19/18
3/20/18
Go with God , Frank Avruch , AKA the original “Bozo the Clown” , a true American legacy !
3/21/18
3/22/18
3/23/18
Christie’s , NYC held a two day sale titled “Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art” that concluded today which featured 3 pile carpets and 7 various textile lots . From an overall stand point the sale outcome was fairly strong for Christie’s with a sale total of $ 17,427,875.00 showing that even with the political turmoil the Chinese market is still running hot. As for the rugs and textiles in the sale inventory all sold and sold well at well . The one carpet i found most interesting is illustrated below .
Lot # 965 , Ningxia carpet , 2nd half 19th century . Pre- sale estimate , $ 20-30,000.00 . Sold for $ 18,750.00 including comm. Slightly below the low est. perhaps because of restoration . This piece had also been around the block before which could have also affected the price ?
The other 2 pieces were newer but in better condition and brought stronger prices . Condition still matters !
3/24/18
“Cottone Auctions” , Geneseo , N Y held a general antique auction today that included 14 various oriental carpets and rugs . Unfortunatly just one of said pieces warrants a mention .
Lot # 401 Chajli carpet , pre- sale estimate $ 8-1,200.00 . Sold for a very reasonable $2,200.00 plus comm. A very poor quality online illustration could have lead to what seems to be a very good buy for the new owner !
3/25/18
3/26/18
3/27/18
Bonham’s, London has a sale titled “Important Design” on April 25th that includes 1 velvet textile and 3 oriental carpets of which one is worth a line or two.
Lot # 95 , possibly 16th century “Ushak” carpet . Pre- sale estimate £ 150-200,000.00 . These are usually cookie cutter items but this one appears to be a far better example and in their poor quality illustration looks to be in pretty good condition which is a big plus !
3/28/18
Sotheby’s, London is back in the game with their major” spring rug and carpet auction scheduled on April 23rd featuring the 2nd portion of the vaunted “Alexander Collection” . Well for starters the first group of this coll. created quite a commotion last year . Unfortunately i do think this part of the group is quite as strong as the first and may not garner the same outcome . There is however one lot that did catch my eye posted below .The rest of the total 127 lots of rugs and carpets include some very good items but nothing in the way of a clear cut barnburner to get the “Rug Mob” buzzing !
Still a pretty good offering overall.
Lot # 28 Karapinar Rug Frag . Pre- sale estimate £ 50-80,000.00 . My pick o the litter !
3/29/18
3/30/18
Austria Auction Co. is back at it with their “Vienna Symposium Rug Auction” ? scheduled on April 7th at their “Palais Breuner” location. The sale includes 124 lots of rugs , carpets and textiles and 8 lots of rug publications .
So after a few passes through the sale inventory i can’t find even one notable lot to write about . This just looks like a mid to low end house cleaning assortment at best but if you have extra time on your hands check it out you may feel differntly about the selection than i do !
3/31/18
4/1/18
Happy D N C Day , !!!
In the real world today a Racist = anybody who disagree’s with the D N C ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018.
Dog o the week !
Movie o the week , Atomic Blonde , 2017.
Shitty movie o the month , Independence Day , Resurgence , 2016. 4.5 poopsicles out of 5 . Easy to see why Will Smith opted out of this one.
Song o the week , Jizzy Pearl , Your’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone , on All You Need is Soul , 2018.
Tweet Read More
2/12/18 Hands off , Hope Hicks ,
2/12/18
Another quite beginning to the new week !
2/13/18
2/14/18
Sad news on V. Day
Via Con Dios , Ricky Morris , O.G. Brimfield pirate passed today . A good man and great friend , you will be missed .
2/15/18
2/16/18
2/17/18
2/18/18
2/19/18
2/20/18
2/21/18
2/22/18
2/23/18
2/24/18
Rippon Boswell’s auction of the “Poppmeier Coll.” scheduled on March 10th in Wiesbaden , Germany is live “ on the line” now to break up the winter doldrums .
This is a some what diverse group of 88 pieces with a fairly exclectic range of items to consider . Some very good , some maybe not so much , to my eye. I will say this to D.M. and the Rippon staff the hard cover catalog is first class !
The inventory for the most part consist of early Anatolian kilims and kilim fragments which is not necessarily my area of interest but there are some pieces that look very intriguing . Besides that there are various pile items from Morocco and other ethnic textiles from a variety of weaving areas. This definitely a sale for collectors who actually know a bit about early and specialized kilims, carpets and textiles . So if thats your area of interest this just maybe the offering for you .
Although not items that generally peak my interest i did notice two that i though very highly of which are featured below .
Lot # 14 , Nigde kilim frag. Pre- sale est. € 3,5 – 4,200. Bold design with great color .
Lot # 44 , Yuncu kilim . Pre-sale est. € 10- 12,000.00 . Good examples of this type kilim are very scarce which makes the starting point seem realistic . For what its worth , my favorite piece in the sale .
Final thought , I think this sale might just do very well for Mr Maltzahn and the crew at Rippon !
2/25/18
2/26/18
No reason the Rock can’t roll on !
2/27/18
2/28/18
Today’s ‘ Palias Dorotheum’ offering in Vienna , Austria has just wrapped up and considering the very mundane overall selection of merchandise in the auction this sale turned out pretty well for them. If their posted results are accurate out of the 231 total lots run across the podium approximately 144 attracted bidder attention . That works out to a fairly respectable sold percentage of right at 62 % . Far better than their competitions outcome a couple of weeks ago . As i stated in the previous post i felt this sale was focused on the European retail market where age could be considered secondary to good condition which has been a factor in that market for a long time and still appears to be . Not that this is a bad thing just far different.than how the U.S. market judges items at least in my experience. One observation i have after going over the prices fetched a couple of times is more than a few of these late pieces in good condition commanded prices well over their pre-sale starting points which is positive for the Dorotheum rug dept. and the overall European rug market in general . Is been somewhat sedated over there lately so any little boost is certainly welcome .
With that said , kudos to them for a job reasonably well done !
As for the two pieces i featured in the sale review both found new homes .
Lot # 84 , Tekke Khalyk , pre- sale starting point € 6,000.00 . Sold for € 7,500.00 including comm . I feel the price fetched is inline with slightly late date of the example , just my opinion !
Lot # 170 , Tibetan Khaden , pre- sale starting point € 2,200.00 . Sold for € 2,750.00 including comm. I guess someone out there agrees with my unfocased taste !
3/1/18
3/2/18
3/3/18
3/4/18
Out of town visitor and commerce .
Enlightenment at the D N C is a pipe dream , they will never see the light of the new day ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018
Dog o the week !
Movie o the week , The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo . 2011 .
Shitty movie o the Month , The Magnificent Seven , 2016 remake . Denzel is great , but this movie was an insult to the original . The characters had no character !
Song o the week , Trivium , The Heart from Your Hate on The Sin and the Sentence , 2017 .
Tweet Read More1/15/18 , Beware the D N C demons !
1/15/18
More tragic news in the music world to begin the new blog post .
Go with God , Delores O’Riordan a founding member and lead vocalist of the Irish alt – rock band “The Cranberries” unfortunately passed over to the other side today . A solid voice and great fallen talent , you will be missed !
1/18/18
1/19/18
1/20/28
1/21/18
1/22/18
1/23/18
1/24/18
1/25/18
1/26/18
1/27/18
Well the first oriental rug sale of the new year is now in the books .
Austria Auction Co. , Vienna , Austria’s sale of the Vartian Coll. just wound up and from a lots sold standpoint it was modestly successful for Udo and the gang . Out of the 61 pieces run across the podium 44 attracted bidding activity. This is of course according to “liveauctioneer’s” figures which are sometimes spotty at best but if accurate it would be a sold percentage of right at 72 %. Not bad for a small offering with limited serious collector appeal. Something else worth noting , there was little in the way of upside pops to create any energy or spark bidding action .
Just on lot # 12 , Silk Khotan , pre- estimate € 2-3,000.00 sold for € 6,000.00 but thats about it as far as highlights go . Most of the rest of the items sold at or below their pre-sale estimates.
Next the Feb 3rd general rug sale at the very busy Austria Auction Co.
1/28/18
1/29/18
1/30/18
1/31/18
2/1/18
2/2/18
2/3/18
Todays rug extravaganza at Austria Auction is now another minor foot note in rug history and if the “ liveauctioneer’s” numbers are correct this could only be considered a “ major” disappointment for Mr Langauer and the A.A.C. rug dept. Out of the 189 total lots offered for sale only approximately 46 might have found new homes . A dismal sold percentage of right near 24% . One other thing worth a mention. Nothing at all in the way of any upside pops , most everything that sold , sold “below” the low pre-sale estimates. Granted this was a very lack luster assortment of items but i personally thought it would fair far better than this !
Oh well ! Back to the drawing board , better luck next time !
2/4/18
Out of town visitor and commerce !
2/5/18
2/6/18
2/7/18
2/8/18
2/9/18
The “Palais Dorotheum” Vienna Austria has their next rug , carpet and textile auction scheduled on Feb.28th live “on the line” now for your viewing amusement .
Well after a couple of passes through the sale inventory my impression is this is a sale pointed directly at the European retail market with little or perhaps nothing to get the wanna-be intellectual international collecting rug- mob buzzing . For the most part the sale consist of 231 total lots of late 19th to early 20th century “furniture” type items or fancy city rugs and carpets of no interest to serious collectors what so ever . However to be fair there are a small hand full of slightly more interesting pieces of which 2 are featured below. It’s still very quite in rug- dumb so if you have nothing better to do , check it out you never know you might find something .
Lot # 84 , Tekke Khalyk , pre- sale starting point € 6,000.00 . As late as they get but a highlight of this assortment !
Lot # 170 , Tibetan Khaden , pre- sale starting point € 2,200.00 . Late 19th and unimportant but still not something you see everyday !
2/10/18
Out of town visitor and commerce !
2/11/18
Out of town visitor and commerce to end the week .
Nothing left to do but finish the week on a metal note !
Feeling sorry for N.P. and the D N C with their none progressive tunnel vision ideas has unfortunately become a full time job ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018.
Dog o the week !
Movie o the week , Fair Game , 2010 .
“Shitty” movie of the month , Mission Impossible , Rogue Nation , 2015 . 4.5 poopsicles out of 5 !
Song o the week , The Cranberries , Zombie on No Need to Argue , 1994 .
Tweet Read More12/26/17 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 .
Tweet Read More11/28/17 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
10/4/17
10/5/17
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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