Very nice new Oriental Rug magazine in English and German. Carpet Collector is devoted exclusively to antique rugs and textiles. This
new magazine is aimed at all fans of this fascinating topic. The
editorial spectrum is correspondingly broad: auction reports, book
presentations, reports from collectors’ meetings, reports about the
important rug collections of major museums, presentations of
exceptional collector’s rugs and essays by international rug experts. www.carpet-collector.com
After
many years I got an email from my wife telling me I was missing some
guides. So here is the first of the new batch and I will be posting a
number of others. Actually 6 more unless she adds to my list.
Most husbands get chores to do, I get rug guides to write: Antique
Mongolian Rugs
Carpet
Moths lay their eggs in late May and early June.
Those eggs
are hatching right now. You need to inspect your rugs and take action
immediately. If you wait until you see the adult moth the damage will
have been done. Since all the damage is done in the Larvae stage you
must deal with an infestation early. If you need any help contact a
qualified Rug cleaner. Here is my list of the very best:
Ningxia
rugs were a complete surprise to me. I never expected to find a secret
Persian minority in China who are the major ethnic group in the Ningxia
Hui Province. Over time I hope to expand this subject more
fully.
Attend the 12th ICOC in
Sparkling Stockholm: June 16-19, 2011
We invite you to join us for
the International Conference on Oriental Carpets' big events in
Stockholm, Copenhagen and St. Petersburg. The deadline for the 'Early Bird' Registration discount
is almost here! Book before 1st December and enjoy
considerable savings.
My old friend Afshin Nejad has a new rug sales
site www.oldcarpet.org/
What strikes me as odd is that he says on his site:
We ONLY sell Real Persian Rugs
NO Rugs From China, Pakistan, India, Turkey Only Persian Rugs Made in IRAN
The last line is the essence of the controversy.
Purists agree that Persian Rugs are made in Iran. But more frequently I
am hearing friends refer to Persian Rugs from other countries. I posted
this for discussion at www.orientalrugtalk.com/forums/
What do you think?
I visited Richard Rothstein & Co.
Oriental Rugs in Mt Laurel New Jersey one of the Philadelphia area's
great rug stores.
Harold Keshishian dead at 81
In my life time I have have many
friends but outside of family there are few I truly loved. Harold
Keshishian was one of the few I loved like family. Harold died
yesterday July 23, 2010 and it is like losing my father all over again.
.
Harold was born in London England
in 1929 to Mark and Margaret Develetian Keshishian. Mark Keshishian was
a great hero, entrepreneur and freedom fighter who waged a one man
effort to rescue the family from the Armenian massacres in Turkey after
the Great War. I researched Mark when I helped Harold build the www.Hadjin.com
website. It was always a little frustrating that Harold took a very
humble approach to his father's story when I thought it was more like
an adventure movie plot.
When Harold was two his family
moved to New York State to handle some investments which had suffered
in the spreading depression. Father Mark pulled things together and
relocated to Washington DC where he built DC's premier Oriental Rug
store as well as a very successful commercial laundry. The infield of
the stadium where the Washington Nationals play is on the site of the
commercial laundry.
The family lived a comfortable
existence in Washington and all three Keshishian children graduated
from University. John the eldest went on to medical school and is today
a prominent surgeon. James went to college in Cincinnati graduating
from George Washington Univ and Harold graduated from Colorado School
of Mines an engineering university located in Golden, Colorado.
Harold once told me he didn't make
his money selling, but rather he made his money buying. He developed
the knack of investing his money by his great knowledge and foresight.
I remember one auction when a lot of Chinese rank badges shot far past
the high estimate. Others at the sale were stunned that Harold would
bid so much for the badges but what only the underbidder and Harold
knew was that they were not Chinese at all but rather the far more rare
Korean rank Badges. Whether is was real estate, carpets, or objects
d'art Harold had the deep knowledge to make successful acquisitions.
Harold's real love was family.
Harold made no secret of the great love he had for his wife Melissa.
But more than just love he also respected her as his better in some
areas. Harold used to tell me that he bought their farm in Poolesville
for the land and how surprised he was that Melissa turned it into a
successful business. Harold loved his children very much. I never met
his eldest daughter by his first marriage but as a proud father he used
to tell me about her latest doings. The younger three Kurt,
Christopher, and Jocelyn were a great treasure to Harold particularly
over the last several years as he battled cancer. He seemed to draw
strength from Melissa and the children as he fought the good fight.
Today when Harold's nephew Mark
called me he commented, "who is going to yell at us now'. That is very
much the crux of the matter. Harold over the years said things to me
that no one else would say but he said them in love and kindness.
Now as I dry my tears and finish
this note I am going to light my best cigar and sit in the sun and
remember my friend Harold...
Recently I have begun to
focus more on the classic rug litterateur. So I decided to share some
of the old sources that I think are worth reading. I am finding some
surprising insights.
My
New Guide to the Turkish Kilim after all these years I have
finally gotten around to the Anatolian Kilims. It is a work in progress
and I will have some major new advances soon.
There are some splendid pieces in this sale from
Qurans, arms, porcelain and carpets but to me the most interesting is
Lot 276, A SAFAVID SILK, WOOL AND METAL-THREAD PRAYER RUG, ISFAHAN,
CENTRAL PERSIA, 80,000-120,000 GBP. The rug, the inscription, the
provenance, and the c-14 data make it one of the most important rugs I
have ever seen.
Alberto
Levi and Textile Museum President Bruce Baganz by noted
photographer Philip Shalam
Shirvan Rug with floral Botehs It has a date using
the old Persian lunar corrected date that was discontinued in the
1920s. No repairs, even wear, full borders, it is in amazing condition.
It was purchased by the owner's grandmother on a road trip through
Persia in the early 1900s.
Tibetan Tiger Rug from Galerie Arabesque formerly
in Mimi Lipton's book
