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.
