Notes on Mary Jo Otsea

Mary Jo Otsea has been a major help to us ever since this was a part of Oriental Rug Review. She is accessible, she will answer questions and she never seems overly impressed with her own importance which frankly is very rare. I also appreciate the way she has helped the people I have sent to her. Sometimes she will help by handling a sale for them and other times by referring then to another venue when Sotheby's is not the perfect solution for their problem. It was fun to see a Oriental Carpet that someone written to me about end up selling at Sotheby's for a considerable sum of money.

Senior Vice President Sotheby's.
Rugs and Carpets
New York
Tel: 212 606 7996
Fax: 212 606 7886
maryjo.otsea@sothebys.com
"Mary Jo Otsea, who joined the firm in 1983, is a Senior Vice President and director of the Oriental and European Carpets Department in New York. In this capacity she is responsible for three major rug sales a year, as well as carpets offered in Furniture sales and Sotheby's on-line auctions. As an auctioneer, she presides over fine carpet and furniture auctions.

During her tenure in the department, she has been involved in several important sales, including a Louis XIV Savonnerie carpet which sold for $1,210,000 on May 21, 1992, as well as the sale of Carpets from the J. Paul Getty Museum, featuring a silk and metallic thread “Polonaise” rug which fetched $440,000 on December 8, 1990. More recently, a Mughal Millefleurs Prayer Rug, circa 1700 was sold for $805,000 on April 12, 1996. This is one of the highest prices at auction for an Oriental carpet. Most recently, a late 16th century Isphahan carpet, formerly in the Rothschild Collection, brought $418,250 on September 20th 2001.

Ms. Otsea holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oregon. She spent a year studying in France and is fluent in French. Originally from Los Angeles, she grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, and attended the International School there. She has published an article on Caucasian rugs in Sotheby’s International Price Guide and she has contributed to Hali, the international journal of carpets and textiles. She is on the judging panel for the International Carpet and Textile fair held in London each year." www.Sothebys.com Profile
Antiques Roadshow/Appraisers: MARY JO OTSEA
Sotheby's none. Specialist Mary Jo Otsea of Sotheby's says the only way war rugs will make it to auction is if they start fetching higher prices. Sotheby's won't auction any rug worth less than $2,000. Forbes.com: Carpet Bombing