I just read an article about the death of Jack Franses. Franses was a London based expert in rugs, textiles and tapestries. In 1974 he became a consultant for Sothebys and would eventually become head of their Islamic Art department. He was the consultant of choice for many heads of state including King Hussein (Jordan), Indira Ghandi (India), King Umberto (Italy) and King Fahd (Saudi Arabia). He also contributed to four books in the field and numerous articles.
Although I never met Mr. Franses personally, I have read many of his articles and a couple of books which he contributed to. It is becoming much more commonplace to hear of great sources of knowledge passing than to meet new scholars in the field. That is why it is crucial to engage the older generation of experts and share their knowledge online.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/art-obituaries/8299456/Jack-Franses.html
This past Saturday I visited Sothebys’s in the Upper East Side to preview the Winter Carpet Auction. There were plenty of rugs I loved but I have selected a few pieces that weren’t highlighted by Sotheby’s and that I was personally drawn to. These rugs didn’t have the highest estimates (five different lots were estimated at $80,000-120,000) but are rugs that I would love to have in my personal collection.
LOT 15 Konagkend
Size: 34 x 411
Origin: Northeast Caucasus
Age: Dated 1804
ESTIMATE
$7,000- 10,000
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I have seen a good number of these rugs but this is one of my favorites. What separates it? One word….color. The brown in the field is very rare and almost has a purplish tint. This contrasted very well with the blues and ivory throughout the rug. What really put this rug over the top though was the inner border of bright, multicolored rosettes, which really popped in person. The rug was dated 1222. This date is based on the Islamic calendar and would be the equivalent of 1804 on our Gregorian calendar. Although the rug appeared very old dates woven in rugs are not always accurate.
LOT 23 Gabbeh
Size: 34 x 51
Origin: South Persia
Age: circa 1900
ESTIMATE
$6,000- 8,000
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I really enjoy antique Gabbehs, but so do a lot of people, therefore I rarely get to see them outside of a private collection. Gabbeh’s are woven by the Qashqai . They are a nomadic tribe from southern Persia. When this rug was made it was for personal use and wasn’t influenced by commercial interests (unlike most contemporary Gabbehs). It could have been inspired by nature, something as simple as a bolt of lightning or an open flame. I love the choice of color and the overall balance of this rug. Rugs like this one are so primal yet so modern at the same time. The pattern is universal and truly timeless. The zigzag can be found as easily in pre-Columbian pottery as it can be in 20th century modernist art.
LOT 115 European Pictorial Rug
Size: 47 x 610
Origin: Europe
Age: circa 1920
ESTIMATE
$8,000- 12,000
This pictorial rug is very interesting and unusual. It displays the life cycle of man. The weaver chose 0 for birth and 100 for death. It appears he or she believed 50 to be the peak. Im guessing they were fifty when they wove it, haha. I like the subject of the rug and also that the character is dressed in clothing of the period. As you inspect further you will notice the inclusion of religious themes. At the bottom of the rug Adam and Eve are depicted in the Garden of Eden right before original sin. The top of the rug references heaven with two angels blowing horns and holding what appear to be keys (maybe to the gates of heaven?) I am not sure why the moon is to the left (birth) and the sun is on the right (death). If it wasn’t for the judeo-christian undertones, I would assume it referenced a new cycle of birth and death.
The full e-catalogue can be found here http://bit.ly/gvyOkx
Sometimes they love the colors…
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Sometimes they are intrigued by the pattern…
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BUT MOSTLY THEY JUST WANT TO ROLL AROUND! 
Harold Keshishian, a collector, dealer and an irreplaceable source of knowledge on oriental rugs has passed away. Keshishian was well known for his “Rug Mornings” lectures at Washington’s Textile Museum where he was a trustee. Keshishian authored two books on caucasian rugs “Rugs of the Caucasus” and “Treasures of the Caucasus”.
Well respected among his peers, he was responsible for identifying a Star Oushak that had been gathering dust in a Georgetown attic as the rug in Hans Holbein’s 16th century portrait of Henry VIII.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/07/AR2010080702676.html
http://www.orientalrugtalk.com/forums/content.php?148-Harold-Keshishian-dead-at-81
Rug hooking is an art form that most likely originated in New England and Maritime Canada in the 1830s. By the turn of the 20th century the practice had spread all across North America and remained quite popular until the 1950s. Hook rugs are produced in many different patterns from geometric shapes with repeating squares, stripes or concentric spirals to floral and free form shapes. Folk art pictorials are also very popular.
This particular piece dates from the 2nd quarter of the 20th century. I love the energy of this rug. The lovely choice of color helps accentuate the strong feeling of movement in the pattern. There is a sense that the flowers in the medallion are being pulled inward toward the center of the rug, whereas the flowers in the field are exploding outward away from the medallion.
Check back here for the new site!
Brooklyn Flea has moved to their winter location at One Hanson. So you can find me there Sundays from 10am – 5pm. Although I love being outside on a Sunday, the bank is a special place.
