| AUCTIONS REVIEW

Seasonal Cheer

The December sale at Sotheby’s in New York is usually one of the high spots in the rug calendar. This year’s offering was no exception. The large and attractive catalogue had something for everyone, and included some exceptional items with tempting estimates. Contributing editor Aaron Nejadwas there.

Overall the SNY Winter sale result was very strong, totalling some $3,850,000 and a 70% sale rate, well above average for carpet auctions. International interest may have been boosted by the appearance of several items from two important private collections, those of the estates of John Pierpont Morgan II and William Coury. The star on the day was undoubtedly lot 41, a superb ‘Polonaise’ silk and precious metal thread rug (right) which adorned the cover of the catalogue. As well as the impressive published provenance, which included successive generations of the Rockefeller family, Mary Jo Otsea announced immediately before the sale that there was additional provenance associated with the Royal House of Saxony. Although a small format example, the colours were vibrant yet subtle, the design was beautifully drawn and condition was relatively good. It sold far above estimate for $273,600, but there was a case for saying that it actually deserved to do better! The rest of the morning session, composed primarily of ‘collectors’ items, also performed exceptionally well. Many of the good 19th century Caucasian rugs sold above estimate. Lot 22, a green-ground Kazak with great wool and a wonderful range of saturated colours was one of the best at $33,000, while lot 15, a smart if somewhat uninspiring Shirvan gallery carpet with an Afshan design was surely boosted to $36,000 by its Morgan provenance. The beautifully drawn ex-‘Orient Stars’ white-ground east Caucasian palmette rug (lot 87) which went to the Far East after its last outing at Rippon Boswell in 1999 (when it made $51,870) this time sold for just $33,600. Another return to the market from the same source, lot 31, a wonderful Dragon carpet fragment, also made less than in 1999, fetching just $10,200. Part of the same consignment, lot 32, an 18th century Caucasian ‘Shield’ carpet which sold for $34,500 at SNY in the same year, did better this time round, making a strong $42,000. One of my favourites in this session was lot 40, a magnificent silk Heriz from the Coury Estate, with a wonderful tactile quality and free drawing. It made $57,000, outshining the Kum Kapıs (lots 107 and 108), which made $14,400 and $45,000 respectively. Of the Turkmens, lot 20, a Tekke main carpet with a great velvety texture and wonderful colour had several easily restorable minor problems and was a bargain at $7,200. Lot 128, a rare white ground ‘Ersari’ prayer rug, was more interesting. Well-known in the local market, this enigmatic rug with its truncated ikat-inspired mihrab resting on a plain white field drew much attention in the

preview and deserved to sell well for $20,400. The afternoon session, composed primarily of decorative carpets, also performed well. Although the strongest results were once again obtained by the paler carpets, there were several more colourful traditional items which also made good prices. Even so, lot 221, a massive white-ground all-over design ‘Ziegler Mahal’ carpet with a terracotta border made a hefty $222,000, while another ‘Mahal’ with a stronger range of colours (lot 209) made $84,000. An interesting Ushak carpet with

‘Polonaise’ rug, Esfahan, central Persia, first half 17th century. 1.42 x 2.01m (4'8" x 6'7"). Sotheby’s New York, 16 December 2005, lot 41. Estimate $100-150,000, sold for $273,600

rustic drawing and pale colouring (lot 258) did well ($72,000), while a very elegant rubyground Agra (lot 185), in excellent condition, sold relatively cheaply at $51,000. One of my favourite items was a charming yellow-ground Bessarabian carpet (lot 156) which sold to an astute Italian buyer for $24,000.

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