No Slow Rounds
At Christie's East September 11th (1991) Sale
by George O'Bannon
From Oriental Rug Review, Vol. 11/3
Although the Bush Administration cannot bring itself to
declare that a recession has started, anyone who has traveled around the
country in recent months cannot help but know that is the case. Without
exception, dealers have been experiencing sharply slower business. One dealer
candidly admitted that August's sales were only 30% of those for the same month
in 1989.
 | Illustration 1, Lot 59, Chantae |
Such being the case, we went to the first auction of the fall season with a
degree of apprehension. Would the dealers be there? How much of their
inventory had they sold over the summer? How would they gamble on their fall
sales? Would collectors turn out for two very specialized lots of Baluch and
Turkoman rugs? Were they feeling financially secure enough to provide good
competition on the offered pieces? These were some of the negatives.
On the positive side, Christie's was offering two strong collections. In
April, 1989 they had sold J.P.J. Homer's collection of Turkoman rugs very
successfully. In this sale they were offering his Baluch collection (57
lots). One of the attractions of the Homer sales is that the pieces are
offered unreserved, a rare occurrence these days.
Keith Wayne, Christie's rug specialist, had also snared the Meyer-Muller
Collection from Zurich. Essentially completed and documented in 1916, this
famous collection contains about 180 rugs, the majority of which are in
excellent condition. Because they are so numerous, the rugs will be auctioned
over three sales. This was the first segment, and it was primarily Ersari
Turkoman and Caucasian weavings. Many of these rugs are rare examples and
could be expected to be sought by collectors. (On the downside Ersari rugs have
not exactly led the Turkoman market and many of these seemed to be
optimistically estimated.) Finally, the continually weakening dollar should
encourage active participation by the European dealers and collectors. How
would these countervailing forces affect this sale, we wondered?
Attendance at the preview was strong and, on auction night, the first floor
gallery at Christie's East was packed to the rafters. It was an interested and
ready-to-buy crowd and turned out to be the most animated Oriental rug auction
we have ever attended in New York. At times during the presentation of the
Homer lots it almost degenerated to the level of a good old country auction,
down and dirty. But it was not only the Homer and Meyer-Muller lots which
generated heat. Several of the various properties from ladies, gentlemen, and
institutions provided some of the most spirited bidding on the floor. In short
a good time was had by all -- consignors, bidders, and Christie's. All prices
are hammer and do not include the 10% buyers premium.
The Warm Up, Lots 1-21
These lots covered a wide range from all weaving areas.
Lot 1, Schurmann's Caucasian Rugs, only made a weak $260 (estimated
$300-$400). Lot 7, Konya yastik, made $1,300 to the phone (estimated $600-
$900). Lot 12, a rather ordinary Dragon sileh, sold for $11,000 (estimated
$9,000-$12,000). Lot 20, Ferahan Sarouk, presented a medallion on an
unpatterned ivory field; estimated at a very reasonable $6,000-$8,000, it was a
steal at $4,800. Lot 21, Khamseh rug with a rare pattern and in excellent
condition, also sold cheaply for $3,500 (estimated $5,000-$7,000). Of these
lots five went unsold, and many were good buys -- not a strong start.
The Next Five Rounds
The Homer Collection, Lots 22-78
Nothing lights the fire of a rug collector more than the
prospect of a cheap buy, and the unreserved Homer lots presented that
prospect. We say rug collector because, let's face it, there are not many
dealers who are interested in Baluch rugs. These were collector lots, and
dealers who wanted them would want them cheap. The most interesting aspect of
the Homer lots was that they covered the gamut of Baluch weaving; they were not
just Persian pieces or Afghan pieces. They were not only perfect pieces or
worn pieces; they were both. All interests and markets were presented
here.
They opened strong. Lot 22, Baluch gun cover, estimated $400-$600, sold
for a surprising $750! Is this going to Afghanistan for presentation to a
Mujjahadin hero? Gun cover? These are packing straps and nothing more, but
collectors do love fantasy.
Lots 23-50 were the ones which gave the country auction feel to this sale.
The prices were all over the place. Some pieces were literally given away and
others brought way too much. In several cases on lots estimated in the $400-
$600 range Mr. Wayne had to drop to opening bids as low as $50 to get an
offer. The bidding then progressed in $10 increments back up to the original
bid range. This took time. Sophisticates interested in more esoteric weavings
were noted to breath deep sighs of impatience; Baluch collectors, on the other
hand, seemed to love it. These lots were the least distinguished of the
collection and the ones with condition problems. However, several lots such as
48, Timuri Carpet, estimated $3,000-5,000, with a main border not known to us,
sold for only $2,400. This is cheap floorcovering. Lot 50, Timuri saddlebag,
had great color and age and was picked up for $160 (estimated $300-$400).
However, the punches began to fall more heavily for lots 51-78. These were
the rarest pieces and those in best condition. Lot 52, Dokhtar-i-Ghazi prayer
rug with cypress trees in the spandrels and mihrab, was the object of intense
bidding between several collectors. Halting at $2,000, Jim Burns picked it up
for the next bid of $2,200 (estimated $1,500-$2,000). (The only similar piece
known to us sold from the Koelz estate at Christie's in April for $2,000.)
Lots 53-56 were four balisht or sack faces in very good condition; they sold
for $300 to $600.
A small saddlebag or chantae face, lot 59, only 1'5"x1'3", finely knotted
and thin, produced one of the most spirited bidding duels (estimated $500-
$700). Having dropped to a starting bid of $150, this piece proceeded slowly
with many bidders in the action. It eventually narrowed down to a duel between
New York collector Mark Feldman and dealer Louise Woodhead. When it appeared
that Mark had the final bid, Wayne remarked that this was only about $140 per
square inch and brought the gavel down for $1,400. A camel ground rug, lot 61
(see =ft.2ORR =ft.1X/6), made $2,400 (estimated $1,200-$1,800).
Lots 65-70 were a group of bagfaces, three of which were the archaic
medallion type. Of these, lots 66 and 70 were the bestimated Lot 66
(estimated $900-$1,200) was of the mina khani type and made $1,800. Lot 70 was
one of the best of the Homer lots. It had a cane design we had not seen before
and was in excellent condition; it made a reasonable but not outrageous $3,200
(estimated $1,500-$2,000).
The other outstanding rug was lot 74. It had Turkoman kurbage guls and
Tekke four-star border guls on the field. There were two reds, one of which
was surely cochineal. The browns were corroded to perfection, low but not
worn, so as to set off all elements in high relief. Estimated at $3,000-$4,000
it went to the famous Boucher collection for $8,500, which surely must be a
world record for a Baluch rug of this type and size.
With the Homer lots finished, the mood became more serious.
 | Illustration 2, Lot 85, two Chinese mats |  |
Lots 79-95, Not Exactly a Breather
These lots contained a few of the best pieces in this
sale and deservedly brought some of the best prices. Lot 82, Chodor torba,
(estimated $3,000-$4,000) was quite possibly the most attractive weaving of
this Turkoman clan we have seen in a long time. The ever astute Lee Beshar
picked it up for $2,800. Lot 85, two Chinese mats (estimated $250-$350), and
lot 86, group of various rug fragments (estimated $900-$1,200), provided a lot
of competition. The two very small Chinese mats, 1'2"x1'1" each, were much
older than the circa 1900 date. The bidding started at $200 and Bausback,
Woodhead, Barbara Sedlin and a phone bidder quickly took it to $1,000. The
ladies took it higher and Sedlin won them for $1,400. The fragments were
sought by a different group of bidders -- one hopes those who teach a course on
Oriental rugs somewhere -- and were knocked down for a surprising $4,500.
Dealers, there is gold in them thar scraps!
 | Illustration 3, Lot 94, Chinese rug with eight horses |
One of the major lots of the evening was 94, Chinese rug with the Eight
Horses design. This was the oldest rug of this type we have seen. One of the
brown colors was corroded indicating a date much earlier than the catalog date
of "last quarter of the 19th c." The horses were each disported in different
positions and one had a beautiful Mongolian saddle rug on its back. In
previewing the show, we thought to ourselves for the $2,000-$3,000 estimate we
might even buy this rug. After fierce floor and phone bidding, it went to a
European dealer for $27,000.
The Power Rounds, Meyer-Muller Lots 96-129
Because of the American embargo against Iranian rugs and
the paperwork involved in clearing U.S. Customs, there were no Persian lots in
this sale. They will be offered in the second and third auctions of this
collection. The strength in this group were the Turkoman and East Turkestan
lots. Although records on Ersari rugs are difficult to resurrect, we feel sure
that the record for Ersari ensis was broken several times in this sale. All
were in excellent condition. Lot 99, Ersari ensi, was the first Turkoman lot
(estimated $4,000-$6,000); it sold on the floor for $9,000, surely a record.
Lot 27 (estimated $6,000-$8,000) sold to Bausback for $9,500. Lot 123 with a
rare design and incredibly fine wool went to Marvin Amstey for $12,000.
Several of the pieces illustrated in Schurmann's =ft.2Central Asian Rugs
=ft.1also did exceptionally well. Lot 105, Kepse gul Yomud main carpet
(estimated $10,000-$15,000), sold on the phone for $17,000. The Bernheimer
representative bought lot 110, Cloudband and 2/1/2 Medallion Beshir, for
$15,000 (estimated $10,000-$15,000). The Chodor main carpet went to a New York
dealer for $5,500 (estimated $6,000-$9,000). The rare boteh Beshir, lot 122,
sold on the phone for $17,000. And perhaps the best buy of the evening, Lot
118, Beshir allover pattern with beautifully mottled green and blue ground,
went to Jim Burns for $7,000. The only Baluch rug, Lot 126, a large Timuri
carpet 6'11"x9'10", sold for a very reasonable $6,000 (estimated $5,000-
$7,000). In our estimation the overall design concept of this rug is the
finest we have ever seen in this type.
The rug which was the crowd favorite was Lot 128, Yarkand. Wrapped around
the catalog cover and in many Christie's ads, this was was in "as new
condition." The copper-red field was luminous and the majestic main trefoil
border in red and green was powerful. Although the estimate was "0n Request,"
floor talk had this piece selling easily over $100,000. The bidding quickly
turned into a phone war, with those on the floor clearly out of the action. It
finally went for $130,000, purportedly to Halevim of Milan.
 | Illustration 5, Lot 123, Ersari ensi |
The Warm Down, Lots 130-173
The balance of the sale consisted of the decorative
Persian and European rugs. If there was a weakness in the sale, it showed up
in this group. Particularly surprising were the Heriz area rugs; of 12 lots
offered, seven failed to sell. If there was any sharp competition, it was for
the European rugs. Lot 143, Aubusson Carpet, 16'3"x12'2", estimated $15,000-
$25,000, for for $50,000. Lot 150, 12'x9' Arts and Crafts carpet circa 1930s
with an open red field and simple floral border, estimated $5,000-$7,000, made
$9,500. A beautiful condition Bessarabian kilim carpet, Lot 170, with a dark
brown field and off-white oval medallion surrounded by flowers, made $20,000
(estimated $20,000-$30,000).
A Winner for Christie's Fall Opener
Despite the negative conditions in the market, the
presence of two large groups of specific type of rugs brought out the buyers
and sustained the other lots as well. The total value of the lots sold was
$1,054,000 and 81% of lots sold. Several records were set: the Yarkand for
East Turkestan rugs, Ersari ensis, and small Baluch rugs. It would appear that
overall the prices on the Ersari pieces in general were 25%-30% higher than
what is normal. However, the range of prices on the other lots tends to
reinforce the general concensus that top quality, rare pieces will bring top
prices and middle quality goods remain weak and bring middling prices. The
Europeans did not have a field day but had good competition from American
dealers and collectors, which indicates continued strength in the U.S. and that
the cheap dollar is not necessarily giving the Europeans an advantage.
One aspect of this auction caused some consternation during the sale and
discussion after. In several instances after gaveling a lot sold, auctioneer
Wayne noticed parties still interested in bidding and reopened the bidding.
Dealers subjected to this action objected from the floor but were ignored. We
asked Wayne about this later, and he said that the room was so full and wide
that he found it impossible to see all potential bids even with his spotters.
He felt he had no alternative but to reopen the bidding.
The dealers, on the other hand, expressed their belief that a major aspect
anchoring the legitimacy of the auction process is that, when the hammer falls,
it stays down. If another bidder didn't get his hand up soon enough or was not
seen, such is the name of the game. And gaming is an aspect of the auction
process.
Some people were under the impression that legally an auctioneer is bound
to stick with a sale once the hammer falls, but in checking with Christie's
public relations department, we were assured that such is not the case. In any
event, this was about the only kidney punch in this entire auction.
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