OUTLOOK

Fair Do Down Under

While the Australian economy remains buoyant with record prices being paid for aboriginal artworks, Asian ceramics and what have come to be known as ‘20th century Australian masters’, the handful of Antipodean dealers in quality antique carpets and textiles report steady but unspectacular sales. Meanwhile, writes Susan Scollay, recent months have seen a flurry of textile and Islamic art exhibitions in museums and publicly funded art galleries across the continent.

After the wave of excitement that accompanied the ICOC regional conference in Sydney a little more than a year ago (HALI 135, pp.4953), and greater than expected follow-on audiences for the exhibitions that accompanied the meeting, especially ‘Celestial Silks’ at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (HALI 138, pp.96-97), the market seemed ominously flat for some time. Now dealers in the harbour city, still the epicentre of the Australasian market in collectable carpets, are experiencing a revival of market interest and welcoming increasingly strong sales. Ian Perryman, who deals from an ideally located shopfront in Woollahra, one of Sydney’s most affluent addresses, reports that sales of 19th century room-sized carpets are strong and that he has increased his stock of higherpriced merchandise. Across town, Ross and Irene Langlands at Nomadic Rug Traders have just opened a second shop near their long-established carpet gallery in Pyrmont. Their aim is to offer antiques and decorative items that complement rugs and textiles, drawing on the collections of

older clients who are currently downsizing their households or selling up altogether after decades of collecting. Highlights of the Langlands’ recent bi-annual ‘Acquisitions’ exhibition included an attractive mid-19th century Kuba prayer rug and an Ersari Turkmen main carpet with an exceptional range of colour (2). Meanwhile, Melbourne, widely acknowledged as Australia’s most gracious and stylish city, lags behind in the collectable carpet department with few quality dealers and a clientèle prone to inconsistency, together with a great demand for privacy at the top end. After an absence of almost six years trading in San Francisco, your correspondent has recently returned to the Melbourne market showing highend textiles at a private gallery in a protected heritage precinct that

1. Below: Morris & Co.Rose and Lily curtain (detail) designed by J.H. Dearle, 1893. Silk and wool, 2.31 x 2.58m (7'7" x 8'6"). Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

2. Right: Ersari Turkmen main carpet, Middle Amu Darya region, ca. 1870. 2.10 x 3.05m (6'11" x 10'0"). Nomadic Rug Traders, Sydney

adjoins the city centre. Interest in Central and Southeast Asian material has markedly increased in recent years and Chinese textiles have also maintained a loyal following in the southern city. Veteran local Asian art dealer Jane Carnegie placed a number of Chinese robes, embroideries and fans in Sotheby’s end of year Asian Art sale, traditionally held in their Melbourne rooms. The consignment included a kesi throne cover, a series of 19th century informal robes, an imperial dragon robe and a framed fragment of Japanese silk brocade from the early Edo period. The latter’s subtle gold, green and yellow hues and

harmonious profusion of detail ensured it stood out from the rest. In the event, however, all the lots failed to sell, while a collection of ikebanabaskets and 18th century blue and white ceramics soared way above their estimates. But if the Antipodean market for rugs and textiles has been unspectacular of late, an impressive series of touring public exhibitions of textiles and Islamic art could well inspire renewed interest and bring additional devotees to the field. One of the most comprehensive collections of William Morris textilesoutside Britain has been acquired over thepast fifteen years

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