| Press Contact: | Catherine Riedell | Jo Kris |
| Director of Marketing | Director of Oriental | |
| Skinner, Inc | Rugs and Carpets | |
|
978-779-6341, x231 |
978-779-6241 x247 | |
SKINNER’S HOSTS ORIENTAL RUG AUCTION ON APRIL 5TH
Sale Features Rare Ashfar Double Saddlebag Plus Kazaks, Bidjars, Bahktiaris, Melas, Soumaks, Shirvans, Baluchs, Sultanabads, and More
Lecture to held in Conjunction with Friday Evening Preview, 6:00 p.m.
BOSTON, Mass. – December 2, 2002 – www.skinnerinc.com - Skinner, Inc., one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art will host an auction of Oriental Rugs and Carpets on Saturday, April, 5, 2003 at 12:00 noon in its downtown Boston gallery. This is Skinner’s major rug auction of the year and the sale will feature nearly 300 lots of 19th and 20th century hand-woven Oriental rugs, carpets and important textiles from some of the world’s most renowned regions for weavings including Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus, China, and India.
One of the major highlights of the sale is Lot 62, a Bidjar Carpet, from Northwest Persia, last quarter 19th century, featuring an overall Harshang floral lattice design in red, rose, sky blue, ivory, gold, brown, and blue-green on a midnight blue field, with a red "turtle" border. Measuring 18 feet by 10 feet 10 inches, it is estimated $20,000-30,000.
Three other highlighted rugs are Lots 61, 75, and 111. Lot 61 is a Sultanabad Carpet, from West Persia, last quarter 19th century, with two circular half medallions, matching spandrels, and palmette blossoming vines in midnight and abrashed sky blue, rose, camel, aubergine, and dark blue-green on a red field, wide sky blue "shield" cartouche and a leafy vine border. Measuring 14 feet by 11 feet, it is estimated at $8,000-10,000. Lot 75 is a Bahkshaish Carpet, from Northwest Persia, last quarter 19th century. It features an ivory ground with an overall medallion design in red, rose, apricot, and navy blue, with a narrow navy blue palmette border. The carpet measures 12 feet 2 inches by 10 feet, and it is estimated $14,000-16,000. Lot 111 is a Kazak Rug, from the Southwest Caucasus, last quarter 19th century, featuring an elongated "keyhole" medallion inset with three octagons in navy and royal blue, ivory, gold, black, and light blue-green on a red field, with an ivory meandering vine border. The rug measures 5 feet 10 inches by 3 feet 10 inches, and is estimated $11,000-13,000.
One of the more interesting lots in the sale is featured on the back cover of the sale catalog: Lot 155, is a late 19th/early 20th century Afshar double saddlebag from South Persia. Unusual for its pile “bridge”, the saddlebags feature staggered rows of boteh in midnight blue, rose, camel, ivory, gold, and blue-green on the light red field, midnight blue diamond and triple-leaf motif border. The lot is estimated at $2,000-2,500.
One charming offering is Lot 205, an Anatolian Miniature Silk Embroidered Prayer Rug, late 19th century, depicting a hanging lamp in red, ivory, and gold on a navy blue field, with ivory spandrels and a cross panel with inscription with a red leaf motif border. The rug measures 8 inches by 5 inches and is estimated at $200-400.
Other featured rugs in the sale include the following lots:
· Lot 34: Kaitag Panel, Northeast Caucasus, second half 19th century, featuring two columns of three circular medallions inset with hooked "spokes" and "S"-motifs in ivory, red, gold, and green on the navy blue field. It measures 3 feet by 2 feet 2 inches and is estimated $4,000-6,000.
· Lot 39: Melas Rug, Southwest Anatolia, second half 19th century, with a column of five small rectangular medallions in sky blue, gold, ivory, and aubergine on a red field, wide gold palmette and blossoming vine border. It measures 5 feet 2 inches by 3 feet 8 inches, and is estimated $4,000-5,000.
· Lot 73: Heriz Carpet, Northwest Persia, early 20th century, with two rows of flowering plants with crenellated square flowerheads flanked by serrated palmette motifs in navy blue, ivory, rose, and dark blue-green on a heavily abrashed rust-red field, and navy blue "turtle" border. The rug measures 10 feet 6 inches by 9 feet 9 inches, and is estimated $6,000-8,000.
· Lot 87: Ushak Carpet, West Anatolia, late 19th century, depicting four "cypress trees" and angular blossoming vines in rosy-red, sky blue, aubergine, ivory, gold, and olive on a green-blue field, with a wide rose-red border of similar design. It measures 9 feet 4 inches by 8 feet 4 inches, and is estimate:$7,000-9,000.
· Lot 103: Bahktiari Carpet, West Persia, second quarter 20th century, large circular lobed medallion surrounded by blossoming vines in red, rose, navy blue, gold, olive brown, and blue-green on a midnight blue field, with lobed ivory spandrels and a midnight blue palmette and flowering vine border. Measuring 9 feet 6 inches by 6 feet 4 inches, it is estimated $6,000-8,000.
· Lot 151: Pair of Qashqai Bagfaces, Southwest Persia, late 19th/early 20th century, hooked diamond medallion flanked by four "Memling" gul-motifs in red, ivory, navy blue, gold, brown, and blue-green on a midnight blue field, with an ivory border. Each bagface measures 2 feet 2 inches by 2 feet 2 inches. The lot is estimated $700-900.
· Lot 161: Khamseh Small Carpet, Southwest Persia, second quarter 20th century, stepped hexagonal medallion surrounded by small floral and geometric motifs in navy and sky blue, apricot, ivory, dark brown, gold, and blue-green on a red field, with large navy blue spandrels and a dark brown flowering plant border. Measuring 10 feet by 7 feet 6 inches, it is estimated $4,000-6,000.
Event, Preview, and Catalogue Information
On Friday April, 4th at 6:00 p.m. Skinner will be hosting a meeting of the New England Rug Society, and will co-present a complimentary lecture entitled “Collecting Through the Eyes of a Dealer”, by Bertram Frauenknecht, international rug specialist. The lecture is open to the public and all interested parties are urged to attend.
Previews for the sale will be 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 3rd, 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 4th, and 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 5th. Illustrated catalog #2192 is available for $32 by mail ($39 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at Skinner/Bolton (978-779-6241 ext. 240). It is also available at the gallery at $29. Prices realized at the auction will be available in real-time at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. For more information, call 978-779-6241, fax 978-779-5144, or visit www.skinnerinc.com.
Note to Editors: Photos available upon request. Contact Catherine Riedel at 978-779-6241 x 231.
About Skinner:With galleries in Boston and Bolton, Mass., Skinner is a full-service auctioneer and appraiser of antiques and fine art. Regularly seen on the PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, Skinner is one of the nation’s leading auction houses. Skinner conducts auctions year-round and has received world-record prices for many pieces sold at auction. Departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographica, and Discovery. For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.