Persian Rugs Persian Carpets and Oriental Rugs Oriental Carpets

I switched cell phone carriers so if anyone need to reach me email me at JBOC@SpongoBongo.Com

Greek Islands Prayer Rug from Textile Fragments

Turkish Rugs: Yatak Rug Ayiman Area C 1900

I wonder why Jim Allen did not include the Azerbaijan carpet, South Caucasus/Northwest Persia Circa 1800 Sotheby's lot 22 in his discussion of his yellow ground rug in the Turkotek thread 18th Century Anatolian Turkmen.

Rippon Boswell & Co. CATALOG ON-LINE
Major Spring Auction Saturday, 24th May 2008, at 3.00 pm
Rare and antique carpets, flat-weaves, embroideries and textiles including carpets from the Orient Stars Collection and pieces from the Collection Horst und Eva Engelhardt.
Rippon Boswell & Co.
Friedrichstrasse 45
65185 Wiesbaden, Germany
Auctioneer: Detlef Maltzahn, Wiesbaden

"Worm Dangling from the mouth of a bird"
The New York Hajji Baba are having a 75th anniversary exhibition called "Timbuktu To Tibet," at the New York Historical Society. The gang at Turkotek is having a salon on the show and Dr. James Blanchard the rug collector from Bangalore India posted praise of a piece catalogued as "Turkmen Fragment, Central Asia, 18th or 19th Century (Harold Keshishian)". It quickly generated 8 replies and when I mentioned it to Harold he told me the rest of the story. In the late 70s Harold was visiting one of the younger Asadourian brothers (Hagop or Krikor’s son) shop at 276 5th Ave in New York City. In a 4 foot high pile of fragments Harold found this and two other fragments of a very old very worn Turkmen Main Carpet. Try as he might Harold could not find the other half of his elim. So when he left who should Harold run in to but the great German Rug Scholar and friend Dr. Ulrich Schurmann. Harold", Schurmann said, "What is that in your hand". After seeing Harold's find Schurmann returned to the shop and did not leave until he located the other half of the elim which is published in Werner Loges, Turkmen Tribal Rugs, plate 48, 1980.

At a later date Schurmann was visiting with Harold at his Washington DC place when they had a chance to look at this piece again. Starting early in the morning with a stack of rugs and a fifth of vodka Schurmann began his studies. A few hours into the process Dr. Ulrich Schurmann declared with all possible Teutonic authoritative certainty that these designs were of "worm dangling from the mouth of a bird". Harold has admitted to me that he has never been able to make out either the birds or the worms and he has no intention of imbibing enough vodka to make it possible.

This piece is one piece and the borders as they were in the carpet. It is about half of an elim of a Drynak Gul carpet that was about 8 foot across.

Rugs are a product of people. So if we wish to understand who wove the rug we need to understand the people. I have pulled together a list of what people live in the Asian portion of Turkey. People of (Asian) Turkey by Language. I will make it a point to annotate the list with when these groups entered Turkey and what happened to other groups that lived there but are no longer present. For instance there are Northern Caucasian people who arrived in the late 18th and 19th century and there are Armenians who died or were driven out in the late 19th and early 20th century. I only focused on the Asian part of Turkey since it is the primary weaving area.

New on Tea and Carpets; Drawing Oriental Carpet Designs Is An Artform Of Its Own. Nice article, often in the west we pay no attention to the role of the designer. I was struck with the emphasis in Iran on the design and the complexity of the design. The more unique a design is and the less repeat the more valuable the rug is.

Karapinar Tulip Rug from the Philadelphia Museum of Art

How do we date Early Karapinar Carpets?
Not long ago Wendel Swan sent me a picture of the Textile Museum Karapinar tulip long rug. It is a magnificent rug and a very early example of the type but the Textile Museum has it listed as 19th century. How then can the Textile Museum date this rug so late? I think I have it figured out. I don't agree but now I think I understand the rational.

Mae Beattie identified a group of unusual Kilims that she dated to the 17th century. I believe that Court Kilim from the Ulu Mosque in Divrigi is an example of that group. So if Charlie Ellis accepted Mae Beattie's attribution of 17th century and I am sure he would because I think he helped her with it, then you can understand how he dated the Karapinar Tulip Rug from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the 18th to 19th century. So if Karapinar Tulip Rug from the Philadelphia Museum of Art is 18th to 19th century then you can understand how Ellis who had a great deal of input on such thing at the Textile Museum would date the Textile Museum Karapinar tulip long rug to the 19th century.

The problem is that a number of rugs are plausibly date dated much earlier such as to Turkish Rugs: Karapinar Long Rug C. 1600 and Turkish Rugs: Karapinar Long Rug from the Vakiflar Museum Circa 1600 - 1700. My thought is that the Ottoman took Egypt in 1517 so why not date the Court Kilim from the Ulu Mosque in Divrigi to circa 1500. After all it is made in the Egyptian manner. So if we date that one to 1500 then we can quiet plausibly date Turkish Rugs: Karapinar Long Rug C. 1600, Turkish Rugs: Karapinar Long Rug from the Vakiflar Museum Circa 1600 - 1700, Textile Museum Karapinar tulip long rug, Turkish Rugs: Karapinar Long Rug Fragment from the Wolf Collection, and Karapinar Yellow Ground Tulip Rug from Berdj Achdjian to circa 1600 and into the 17th century. So where do we put the Karapinar Tulip Rug from the Philadelphia Museum of Art? How about mid 16th century?

Ursula McCracken memorial - 2:00 to 4:00pm, May 10th at the Textile Museum

Family and friends will hold a gathering of remembrance from 2:00 to 4:00pm, May 10th at The Textile Museum in Washington. Ursula requested contributions to the American Pain Foundation, Suite 710, 201 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 or the Textile Society of America, P.O. Box 193, Middletown, DE 19709.

See Ursula McCracken memorial - 2:00 to 4:00pm, May 10th at the Textile Museum

L.A. Rug Expert Brian Morehouse weighs in on 18th Century Anatolian Turkmen

The level of discourse on Turkotek certainly has gone up a notch or two since Jim Allen started his 18th Century Anatolian Turkmen thread. Now L.A. Rug Expert Brian Morehouse has jumped into the discussion with both feet. Brian has come out with a variation of the old, Turkish Rugs are Armenian rugs, argument.

See L.A. Rug Expert Brian Morehouse weighs in on 18th Century Anatolian Turkmen

Five Very Special Fragments
After the RTAM at the Textile Museum Harold Keshishian and I ducked out quickly and I drove Harold to another engagement in Upper Northwest. As we drove Harold told me about the five pieces that he had in the program. These rugs were very special for a very unusual reason. All of them were presents to Harold from major dealers and collectors. It used to be a custom for top collectors and dealers to give gifts of important rugs and fragments to up and coming collectors and dealers. Fragments were especially prized by all the big collectors, guys like Joe McMullan, Hagop Kevorkian, Ralph Yohe, and Russ Pickering prized them. In fact the two big Indo-Persian fragments on the right were presents from Ralph Yohe, The square Indo-Persian fragment above and too the right of the other two was a gift of Magda Shapiro a top London dealer. (I was especially interested in this one since it had that orange that Ellis used as a marker for Herat.) The two smaller Mughal fragments were a present from Harry Bolsen who ran J.H. Dildarian, Inc. for 80 year old a mainstay of the Madison Avenue rug trade.
Harold is like family to me and I learn so much when we get together. The five fragments are great pieces but they mean a lot more when I know the story behind them.

Swan and Walker at the Textile Museum
I made it to the Textile Museum RTAM to hear Wendel Swan and Daniel Walker. Wendel was brilliant. I was really impressed by the creative approach Wendel took to a Karapinar carpet fragment. Dan Walker did a nice job of talking about his collection of classical era fragments. The audience seemed notably surprised when Dan showed a copy of the "Goddess in Anatolia" and used it to relate to some of his fragments. Dan handled it well and made some good points. Walker talked a bit about small silk Kashan rugs and related them to a piece in his collection. His concept of a later silk Kashan rug with Jufti knotting was adventurous but he carried it off well. Both Wendel and I asked questions pointing to a Khorasan attribution for the fragments but Walker stood his ground. Dan and I tend to disagree on many of the attributions of classical carpets but it was easy to see the strong academic qualities that made Dan Walker so attractive to the TM when they drafted him. I think he is best thing to happen to the Textile Museum in years. Obviously the TM is lucky to have such a brilliant and dedicated director. Some of the pieces in the show were Harold Keshishian's but I will talk about them later.

Tonight I feel terrible, not sick but my allergies are bothering me. I am not very impressed by the cherry blossoms here in the Washington DC area but I love the Bartlett pear trees even if I am allergic. So between sneezes I added Turkish Rugs: Shield Kazak Rug Anatolia Circa 1900 lot 68, Turkish Rugs: Kozak Rug Circa 1870 lot 55, Turkish Rugs: Kurdish Rug Circa 1880 lot 65, and Turkish Rugs: Konya-Nigde Kilim Circa 1860 lot 66. I am still trying to fill in the gaps in my Turkish rug notes. Tomorrow is Saturday and I am going to Dan Walkers talk at TM if I feel up to it. I work every day except Sunday so I have a new system. I hate to get up and go to work so I have started getting up extra early so I can read the Bible. Then I get up and have a leisurely breakfast. Since I started this I always get to work early and usually in a very good mood. I don't read the Bible because I am a good person, quite the reverse. I am so much more wicked than the average person I need the help. Saturday is my easy day because I help out at Mark Keshishian & Sons. Great people and I love the time with the rugs.

Earlier I provided a link to Rug Rag's stain removal guide. I tried it and it is a nice guide.

Saudi Aramco World has a nice article on Venice and Islam in East Meets West in Venice. Former Textile Museum Trustee Walter Denny a rug expert and professor of art at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst is quoted as saying that the Venetian Republic was “an entrepôt for the importation into Europe of profitable luxury goods such as carpets and textiles, and opened a European door to the Islamic cultures that created those goods,”.

DOBAG rugs and fair-trade|
By Birte Staerk, DOBAG Carpets, Denmark, 15 April 2008
The topic of fair-trade is very much in the public mind, and the Dobag carpet project is, in my opinion, the essence of fair-trade. The Turkish women involved in the project are paid adequately and fairly for their craftsmanship and quality handwork - and we can buy the carpets with an easy conscience.

Carpets in Western Europe During the Renaissance
Links to photos of extant 15th-17th century carpets, as well as depictions of carpets in 15th and 16th century artwork. I am not sure whose work this is but it is a very useful list of links with brief annotation. At the risk of sounding prideful I love it when I see someone take some of my work and make it part of a greater work. Take for instance a little article of mine that they included, Domenico Ghirlandaio' s Saint Jerome. I had forgotten that I wrote it and then I find it as a link on someone else's page. It is nothing particularly important but I concluded that Domenico Ghirlandaio used the same rug in Domenico Ghirlandaio' s Saint Jerome and Domenico Ghirlandaio Madonna Enthroned mid 15th century and I wrote about it in Domenico Ghirlandaio and his Rugs. It is nice to have my massive ego assuaged for the day.

Tea and Carpets' A Carpet Of Stone Honors Hamburg As Heart Of Europe's Oriental Rug Trade

Rug Rag's Stain Removal Guide

What is the value of a Seidman and Keshishian presentation?
Just today I was speaking with Cynthia Kosciuczyk who is the manager of 4th Avenue Rug Gallery in San Diego. Cynthia was telling me what a fan she is of the Textile Museum. I had to ask her if she reads John Howe's blog and she was not aware of it. John is a humble guy who puts in countless hours of selfless work to help a wider audience to get more out of the Textile Museum programs. It is well worth visiting John's site.

Take a look at John's 18th and 19th Century Anatolian Carpets: Keshishian and Seidman.

It is a useful and artistic article. John added a small note, "Harold has said to me, recently, that the extent and excellence of Michael Seidman’s preparation for this session is not adequately recognized in what we have said above and this comment is an effort to correct that."

What is the value of a Seidman and Keshishian presentation? No record, no transcripts, no video, virtually no record at all without John. I have documented a few and John is off to a good start documenting more and that is good. Still for the handful available on-line there are more than 30 years of RTAMS lost and gone for ever. 30 years of guys like Keshishian, Seidman, Wendel Swan, John Wertime, Steve Price, Zimmerman, Charlie Ellis, Ulrich Schurmann, and so many other. Still the Textile Museum is a wonderful place and Bruce Baganz and the rest of the board are great guys doing so much with very little. Maybe a good first step if you really value the Textile Museum is to Join, Renew, or just Write them a Check.

Here are some odds and ends from my site: Long time Trustee John Sommer on Kyrgyz felt at the TM

HK's "Rug Morning" The Introduction

HK's "Rug Morning" The Persian Collection

HK's "Rug Morning" Explosion of Red

HK's "Rug Morning" The Mediterranean Collection

HK's "Rug Morning" Parting Shots

This page is always my most popular but Persian Rugs the O'Connell Guides is my second ,most popular. I was interested in the key words that brought readers to that page. The top 10 searches terms that brought people to that page are:"Kerman rugs", "rug appraisal", "spongobongo.com", "hamadan", "kasak rugs", "persian isfahan rug", "chahal shotur", "gabbeh iran persian", "cartouches on persian carpets", and "kashan rug".

On the dating of Rugs:
“They can't all have been made in 1875, some must be older.” This bon mot from Harold Keshishian is as true today as the day he said it. For a number of reasons if a rug looks old dealers or auction houses have traditionally dated it to circa 1875. This is mainly because if a rug later is shown to have a chemical dye it is within the range where a chemical dye could have been used. So it is a safe attribution and a huge number of rugs got assigned an attribution of circa 1875. But in that group some are newer and conversely some must be older. We have reached a point where there are a growing number of rugs that considerably predate 1875.

Pioneering work by Jim Allen working with the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as that of Dr. Jurg Rageth, c14 (radio carbon dating) became a tool in carpet studies. A growing number of rugs have been dated significantly earlier than 1800 and each discovery makes it possible to date other rugs in the time frame that at one point was thought impossible.

Once Jim Allen's 17th century Tekke Juval was dated Circa 1656 it made it possible for others to suggest a rug was of a certain date in relationship to other rugs. It has become what I call a marker rug. Since as far as I know it is the oldest Tekke weaving to date it allows people to use it as a marker in dating their Tekke weaving. More to come...

Major News from the Hajji Babas!

As we can expect from one of the nations great rug clubs the International Hajji Baba has announced that Mehmet Girgiç and Theresa May-O'Brien will present a program on Turkish Felt Rug Making and Dyeing Sunday, April 20, 2008 at George Mason University.

Over the years I have occasionally been tough on Steve Price. Not much for a long time but I find I have been wrong. It now appears that Steve is more of a gentleman than I am. In the discussion 18th Century Anatolian Turkmen a Maine school teacher who sells rugs on the side decided to take a number of pointedly nasty cheap shots at Jim Allen. Now you know I like Jim Allen and have learned from him. But I will be the first to admit that he can be speculative at times. But speculation labeled as speculation is not a bad thing. Any way when Ben Mini started spewing his bile Steve Price has pointedly explained to him about proper behavior in polite company. Poor Ben Mini continues to hiss and sputter but what can you expect. Keep up the good work Steve!

Antique Rugs, Pretty Women and Good Turkish Coffee
There are about 5 or 6 carpet shops in Tbilisi. They all have very nice pieces in stock, obviously, old and new, but I think it is fair to say that the "Caucasian Carpets Gallery" i.e. carpet shop owned by Manana Arkania offers the best variety and value for money. They have rugs and kilims from all over Georgia, and a small private collection of kilims from Tusheti (now almost unobtainable) which they will be happy to show. Patima, who runs the shop, speaks English, as does her pretty Mingrelian-Svanetian colleague, who makes some of the best Turkish coffee in Tbilisi!

Harold Keshishian always used to tell me that the three most important things about a rug is color, color, and color. No doubt color is king but with ethnographic textiles context is important as well. I am reminded of this by the mafrash to the left and it brought to mind another piece. Wertime has an unusual piece; Rare Shahsavan Band in the John Wertime Collection. It is an intact 22 foot band which in itself a little longer than average for a pack band. The unusual part is the detail combined with pristine condition. The Shahsavan like the Turkmen both use trellised domed tent. Not surprising since the Shahsavan are primarily Northern Azeri which is a branch of the same ethno-linguistic group as the Turkmen of Turkmenistan. Tent bands are typically around 45 feet since the average trellised domed tent or yurt is 45 foot in circumference and 12 foot across. Pack bands are typically 12 to 20 feet so this one is slightly longer than average but not nearly long enough to be a tent band.

I was struck by this mafrash from John Wertime as I looked at it again. The color is superb, the structure is less common (weft-float brocade) it dates to the second half 19th century and it is an intact mafrash. All these things make it very special. Karabagh Mafrash Complete Bedding Bag Weft Float Brocade from John Wertime.

Antique-Wash: The Great Game of Making New Oriental Carpets Look Old Again

While I was looking at Ersari rugs I spotted Salor Juval 9 Gul C 1800 RB Lot 167. My old buddy Jim Allen wrote Perspective in Classical Turkoman Weaving. It is well worth reading hen you look at this Juval. Jim is a frequent contributor on a rug discussion site and it can be rather humorous at times because Jim is way over their heads when he gets going.

I discussed an Ersari Torba with Mark Keshishian former President of ORRA and he suggested a Yomud influence to Diamond Guls with latchhooks. That made me think and I immediately saw the triparate device in the outer border. This triparate device is most commonly seen in Yomud weaving and I recognize it most commonly from Yomud Ensis. Ersari Torba Yomud Influenced 20th C Sotheby's Lot 695. I also added these to the notes; Ersari bag-face Border Design C 1900 Sotheby's Lot 41, Ersari Juval, W Turkestan, circa 1880 Sotheby's Lot 36, Ersari Juval, W Turkestan, 2nd half 19th Sotheby's Lot 47, and Ersari Juval Serrated Rosettes Afghanistan Circa 1880 Sotheby's Lot 845

I am starting a page on Ersari and Ersari Beshir Bags and Trappings so I added a few more pages to the notes including: Ersari Trapping Circa 1875 Sotheby's Lot 149, Ersari Chuval 3rd Q 19th C Sotheby's Lot 52, Ersari Beshir Chuval Myrna Bloom Collection, Ersari Beshir Chuval E. B. Long Collection, Ersari Juval 1st half 19th C Sotheby's Lot 6, and Ersari Beshir Chuval circa 1870 Sotheby's Lot 80

I added an interesting 6 gul Tekke Torba Tekke Rugs: 6 Gul Tekke Torba Rippon Boswell Lot 12 to my Tekke Torbas the O'Connell Notes and while I was at it I took care of a long lost page: Tekke Torba 6 Gul Lot 10 ex Dr. Jon Thompson. i spent a good bit of time cleaning up the Tekke Torbas the O'Connell Notes, it was due.

The detail to the left is from Jim Allen's The James C. Allen Blue Star 6 Gul Tekke Torba.

By the way Jim has a thread on Turkotek 18th Century Anatolian Turkmen. Take a look at his main rug in the thread. I wrote about it in Turkish Rugs: Notes on Anatolian Gelveri Rugs.

March 27, 2008 Rug of the Day! Kum Kapour Lot 91: Sotheby's 1985

Wendel Swan was kind enough to share the TM Karapinar tulip long rug. A wonderful rug from a wonderful Museum.

April 19 important Program at the (wonderful) Textile Museum
Rug & Textile Appreciation Morning: "Classical Rug Fragments"
Daniel Walker, Director
Saturday, 10:30 am
Sometimes some people think I am tough on the Textile Museum. Just for the record I love the Textile Museum and think it is wonderful. In fact without a doubt the TM is the greatest institution of its type in the world.

Karen DiSaia successful Connecticut Antique Rug Dealer Succeeds in Show Management as well Connecticut Spring Antiques Show Remains One Of The Great Venues Apr 1st, 2008 By Laura Beach
:In the three years since Karen DiSaia assumed management of the Connecticut Spring Antiques Show, March 8 and 9 at the Connecticut Expo Center, the 35-year-old fair benefiting the Haddam Historical Society has steadily found its footing.
Happily, the show remains one of the great venues for pre-1840 New England furniture and appropriate accessories; a rare survivor from an earlier era of collecting. At the same time, Di Saia has enlarged the 70-exhibitor display, persuading some of the trade's leading figures to return and subtly making the show's content more diverse.
http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/AntiquesShows/2008-04-01__15-05-27.html

Tschebull Antique Carpets to Close
Raul "Mike" Tschebull's Tschebull Antique Carpets Collection, Darien, Connecticut will close and inventory will be sold at auction. More to come...

12 of the greatest Anatolian rugs ever collected from a collection that overshadows even the Vakiflar in all it's magnificence. Or as some say a group of over-hyped overly early dated rugs of dubious provenance. Either way the Christopher Alexander Collection is an important collection and 12 of them are up for sale at Christie's ORIENTAL RUGS AND CARPETS Sale 7572 10 Apr 2008 London, King Street

We talk about more than just Karapinar rugs take a look at Understanding Uzbek Embroidery by James C. Allen

My dear friend Ed Krayer has been a big help over the years in building this site. Now he is going out of his way to help with this Karapinar project. He sent Karapinar Tulip Rug from Ed Krayer to me. take a look at the white main border.

Karapinar rugs can be among the best of the Turkish village rugs and this one is among the best of best. Please see Karapinar Tulip Rug from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Another of the great rugs are Karapinar Medallion Rug Alexander Collection and Karapinar Red Ground Rug Alexander Collection. You can't add the Alexander rugs without Berdj Achdjian's great yellow ground tulip fragment coming to mind. see Karapinar Yellow Ground Tulip Rug from Berdj Achdjian.

Washington’s Textile Museum Explores a Planet of Weavers

I found a few more Karapinar Rugs so I added them to the notes. Please see Karapinar Long Rug 18th century Lot 23, Karapinar Kilim-Like Long Rug 18th century, Karapinar Curling Leaves Rug 18th century. I also spotted a rug that seemed to share Karapinar like qualities so I added Konya Area Rug Fragment circa 1600

R. John Howe has a new blog that focuses on TM programs see 18th and 19th Century Anatolian Carpets: Keshishian and Seidman

Two more Karapinar rugs today Karapinar Medallion Rug 17th century and Karapinar Medallion Rug circa 1900.

Another Karapinar Tulip Group rug from Wendel Swan: Turkish Rugs: Karapinar Long Rug Fragment from the Wolf Collection. Marilyn and Marshall Wolf are major American collectors from New York City. With the Turkish Rugs: Karapinar Long Rug C. 1600 and Turkish Rugs: Karapinar Long Rug from the Vakiflar Museum Circa 1600 - 1700 we can see the delineation of a cohesive and important sub-group of Karapinar rugs.

Rug Rag has a fun piece on the Highest Prices Paid for Oriental Rugs One of the rugs is a Chelaberd Kazak sold by Freeman's Auctioneers in PA at a hammer price of $341,625. A nice rug but not the type to typically bring over $10,000 a square foot. What then made this rug special?
It was from the estate of Robert Montgomery Scott. It had belonged to his mother Helen Hope Montgomery Scott who was the famous society beauty who inspired two major motion pictures. In one she was played by (The Philadelphia Story) Katherine Hepburn and in the other (High Society ) by Grace Kelly. And now you know the rest of the story as Paul Harvey says.

Oriental Carpet Books Sell In Strange Ways Tea and carpets looks at an interesting part of the Oriental Rug trade, the books.

I received a wonderful treat: Wendel Swan has sent me an image of the oldest known tulip style Karapinar carpet. Please see Turkish Rugs: Karapinar Long Rug from the Vakiflar Museum Circa 1600 - 1700. Wendel has become one of the really import rug scholars today. Wendel in many ways reminds me of the late Charles Grant Ellis who did careful painstaking research for the shear joy of studying rugs.

My old friend Jim Allen saw the note on Hotamis Kelims below and sent me the images on one of his. For Jim's kelim take a look at Turkish Rugs: Hotamis Kelim 3rd Quarter 19th century From Jim Allen. Thanks Jim I certainly appreciate people helping me fill in the sections I am missing. Jim and I have been close friends for almost 10 years and we have never met. Now we are talking about going to a Hajji show in New York. The Hajji Baba Club is having its 75th anniversary and having a show to celebrate. I belonged to the club for one year but I always felt out of place and not terribly welcome so I let the membership lapse. That club is for serious collectors and I am more of a dilettante who collects pictures and makes lists. But it should be a good show and it would be great to finally shake hands with Jim Allen. Besides I helped Harold Kisheshian get the two pieces ready that he is loaning to the show and it would be good to see them hung. Then again I may just skip the Hajjis and see Jim some other time. I will have to think about this.

It is so much fun to open the Sotheby's London catalog since Jackie Coulter is back. Between Mary Jo in New York and Jackie in London and Europe it is hard not to love Sotheby's. Here are a few highlights from Sotheby's New Bond Street: Arts of the Islamic World. Auction Dates: Wed, April 9, 2008 2:30 PM Oushak Rugs: Star Ushak Carpet late 16th Century, Ottoman Silk and Metal Thread Multiple Niche Brocade Mihrab Panel

I think I am starting to understand Hotamis Kelims a little on the basis of a shared border with Turkish Rugs: Hotamis Kelim Circa 1800 I decided that Turkish Rugs: Hotamis Konya Kelim 1st half 19th century had to be a Hotamis and i also added Turkish Rugs: Hotamis Turkmen Konya kelim 19th century to my notes.

I didn't have any Dazkiri rugs in the notes so I added Turkish Rugs: Dazgiri/Dazkiri Rug 18th century as well. as long as I was at it I threw in Turkish Rugs: Konya Yastik 19th century and Turkish Rugs: Kurde/Kurdish Rug 2nd half 19th century.

On first day of Spring (and NowRuz), clean that rug!