When they were sold at Christie ’ s , each carpet realised over £ 3,000,000 , achieving a new auction record for a ‘ Polonaise ’ carpet .
►What should one pay attention to when buying an antique carpet ?
- It can be difficult to know if you are buying a true antique carpet . It is best to buy a carpet that has been woven with natural dyes as these are more stable and have better saturation that many of the synthetic dyes that were introduced after 1870 . If the palette includes a particularly hot pink , glowing orange or a dusty , dull grey with mauve undertones ( fuchsine ) these are tell-tale signs that the carpet has been woven with aniline dyes and are best avoided .
Be careful that the carpet hasn ’ t been reduced in size , and if there is restoration that it is has been professionally exe-cuted . Restoration , be it repiled wool or rewoven structure , should not be
immediately noticeable and should be well colour-matched to the original wool palette . Do not accept poor restoration where the carpet has been ‘ tinted ’. This is a lazy form of restoration where someone has applied ink to disguise the worn areas of structure to help disguise the wear . This can lead to later problems when a carpet is wet-washed as the ink is invariably unstable and runs .
►How carpet assessment and its attribution are done ? What specialists can be involved in the assessment ? How long does it take to evaluate a collection of carpets and prepare them for auctions ? - When evaluating a carpet I am looking for a number of things . Firstly I need to establish where and when it was woven . Then one can consider other factors such
“ It is better to buy a carpet woven with natural dyes because they are more durable and have better saturation than many synthetic dyes after 1870 …”
ACQUAINTANCE
as its rarity and provenance . Has it been in a private estate or has it ever been exhibited or published ? Is it attractive ? Does the design work , is it balanced , unusual , iconic ? There are some designs that are easily recognisable , take a ‘ Lotto ’ for example . Does the carpet have good age ? Do the colours sing ? If they don ’ t , one should consider why not , are they dull from dirt or flat because they are synthetic ? Has it been restored and if it has , what has been done and how well ? I take all of these elements into consideration however it usually only takes a matter of seconds for your instinct to tell a bad carpet from a great carpet .
►What is the most interesting thing in your job ?
- It is never known who will call or write . There are a lot of carpets , but , unfortunately , they do not match our criteria . “ Hunting ” for them is a pleasant process .
►The most expensive and collected carpets at auctions are oriental . Since the theme of our issue is dedicated to Anatolian carpets . What is unique about the carpet collection at the autumn auction ?
- The Deeg collection of early historical rugs and fragments was gathered over a period of 40 years from the 1960 ’ s . Paul Deeg , a German chemist by profession , travelled extensively through the middle east , and had a particular affinity with Anatolia . His collection of carpets reflects this , showing his keen eye for colour and iconic designs . Most of the pieces were bought through the leading dealers at the time , such as Peter Bausback , Eberhart Herrmann and Ulrich Shurmann . Stand out examples are undoubtedly the late 16th century small medallion Ushak , a rare central Anatolian fragment with spotted field , a wonderful ‘ Dragon ’ soumac , the Damascus Chequerboard but
Border fragment of Ushak carpet
DECEMBER ’ 21 C A R P E T 11