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Doris Duke's World Record Esphahan
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
As anticipated in our preview of today’s Christie’s New York sale, the beautiful
and historically significant Rainey Rogers/Duke central Persian silk rug, probably
woven in Esfahan in the late 16th century, smashed the world record at public
auction for an oriental carpet, selling on the telephone for a well-deserved
$4,450,500 (including premiums), then trebling its high estimate (lot 37), and
surpassing by a fraction less than $2 million the price paid in July 1999 by the
Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar for the Rothschild Tabriz Medallion carpet. Due to
the wonders of modern technology, we were able, via the world wide web, to
watch the sale live from our London office, and even share a little of the
excitement.
The sale, which is still taking place as we write, began well, with lot 1, a
pentagonal white-ground Yomut Turkmen tree asmalyk, which realised $50,000,
more than four times its estimate. The first of the Doris Duke/Newport Restoration
Foundation carpets, lot 31, a large early 17th century Portuguese armorial carpet,
estimated at $20-30,000, was rapidly bid up to $80,500, and the trend continued
through to the next ten lots: lot 32, a pomegranate design silk Yarkand, made
$45,000 (estimate $12-18,000); then followed a clutch of assorted rugs with low
estimates, beginning with a minimally attributed appliqué rug, which fetched
$10,000 ($800-1,000). Lot 34, a Ukrainian mixed-technique runner soared to
$12,500 ($2,000-3,000), as did lot 35, a 17th century Cuenca ($4,000-6,000) and
lot 36, a pale-blue grounf Ziegler ($6,000-8,000).
After the Esfahan silk, a large Agra lattice design carpet from the solarium of Duke’
s Newport house, Rough Point, more than quadrupled its $10-15 estimate to
fetch $80,500, and in the sole instance of a Duke rug failing to exceed its pre-sale
expectation, a typical 17th century red-ground Esfahan cloudband and palmette
carpet sold for only $116,500 against its $120-180,000 estimate. To round off the
Duke rugs, lot 41, a tauk nuska göl Yomut main carpet, was probably a bargain at
$30,000 ($15-20,000). Thereafter, things returned to ‘normal’ with more prosaic
rugs, of lesser provenance, performing more or less as expected.
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
As anticipated in our preview of today’s Christie’s New York sale, the beautiful
and historically significant Rainey Rogers/Duke central Persian silk rug, probably
woven in Esfahan in the late 16th century, smashed the world record at public
auction for an oriental carpet, selling on the telephone for a well-deserved
$4,450,500 (including premiums), then trebling its high estimate (lot 37), and
surpassing by a fraction less than $2 million the price paid in July 1999 by the
Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar for the Rothschild Tabriz Medallion carpet. Due to
the wonders of modern technology, we were able, via the world wide web, to
watch the sale live from our London office, and even share a little of the
excitement.
The sale, which is still taking place as we write, began well, with lot 1, a
pentagonal white-ground Yomut Turkmen tree asmalyk, which realised $50,000,
more than four times its estimate. The first of the Doris Duke/Newport Restoration
Foundation carpets, lot 31, a large early 17th century Portuguese armorial carpet,
estimated at $20-30,000, was rapidly bid up to $80,500, and the trend continued
through to the next ten lots: lot 32, a pomegranate design silk Yarkand, made
$45,000 (estimate $12-18,000); then followed a clutch of assorted rugs with low
estimates, beginning with a minimally attributed appliqué rug, which fetched
$10,000 ($800-1,000). Lot 34, a Ukrainian mixed-technique runner soared to
$12,500 ($2,000-3,000), as did lot 35, a 17th century Cuenca ($4,000-6,000) and
lot 36, a pale-blue grounf Ziegler ($6,000-8,000).
After the Esfahan silk, a large Agra lattice design carpet from the solarium of Duke’
s Newport house, Rough Point, more than quadrupled its $10-15 estimate to
fetch $80,500, and in the sole instance of a Duke rug failing to exceed its pre-sale
expectation, a typical 17th century red-ground Esfahan cloudband and palmette
carpet sold for only $116,500 against its $120-180,000 estimate. To round off the
Duke rugs, lot 41, a tauk nuska göl Yomut main carpet, was probably a bargain at
$30,000 ($15-20,000). Thereafter, things returned to ‘normal’ with more prosaic
rugs, of lesser provenance, performing more or less as expected.
Safavid ‘Polonaise’ silk rug
(detail), central Persia, ca.
1600. 1.70 x 2.31m (5’7” x 7’
7”). Christie’s New York, 3
June 2008, lot 37, estimate
$1,000,000–1,500,000
(detail), central Persia, ca.
1600. 1.70 x 2.31m (5’7” x 7’
7”). Christie’s New York, 3
June 2008, lot 37, estimate
$1,000,000–1,500,000