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Golden Age Expands into Larger showroom at 1919 Berkeley Way
Golden Age closed its Ninth
Street Berkeley retail showroom in 2005 and continues as a trusted online
resource at 1910 Bonita Ave, showing rugs by appointment in a small
warehouse near downtown Berkeley. In July, 2007, Golden Age expanded
into an adjacent warehouse at 1919 Berkeley Way (its the same Bonita
warehouse, with a Berkeley Way entrance).
SAVE THE DATES: Our summer warehouse sale will be held
at 1919 Berkeley Way, July 3 - 13, 2008. Our warehouse will be open
daily during the sale; after the sale, we will continue showing rugs
by appointment.
SALES TO THE TRADE: We welcome trade inquiries, as we
specialize in providing an attractive array of decorative hand-made
carpets catering to today's exacting standards of color and style. Architects,
interior decorators, and designer resource professionals are invited
to view our unique collection and specify orders from our producers
in Rajhestan, Southern Iran and other important rug weaving districts.
We also have a vast collection of older rugs available, including many
outstanding pieces from private collections rarely seen in the marketplace.
Reprint of Rug Article "Carpet Diem" from American
Express Departures Magazine
Carpet Diem
Why this is the best time to buy a Persian rug
By Richard John Pietschmann
Arabella Turner had predicted my taste in Oriental carpets without asking
me a single question. We were in the high-ceiling showroom at Mansour,
Los Angeles' largest Oriental carpet dealership. "In my experience
almost invariably people like the rugs they grew up with," said
Turner, a former Christie's London rug expert and recent transplant
to the United States.
As I poked around the shop, I found that I was particularly drawn to
the vivid colors and fine, curvilinear designs of Iranian Kashans, "city"
rugs made in organized workshops rather than by traditional village,
nomadic, or tribal weavers. Afterward I called my mother, to ask what
those carpets were that I had grown up with. She said they had indeed
been a pair of rare matched Kashans. "Your father loved Oriental
rugs," she told me.
I never understood the value of those carpets until they were stolen
in the late 1970s, at the peak of an Iranian rug market boom. Nothing
else of value was taken from the house, although my parents had antique
firearms, ivory pieces, cameras, and art. The thieves didn't even bother
to look in drawers; they knew exactly what they wanted.
Back then, everyone coveted hand-loomed, finely knotted carpets like
my father's. Today these pieces are often called Pahlavi rugs, as they
were produced from 1925 to 1979, during the reigns of Reza Shah Pahlavi
and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whom we knew as the Shah. It was during their
reigns that woven carpets achieved an unprecedented technical perfection:
Knot counts sometimes approached 1,000 per square inch (250 and above
is considered high). "If you look at detail, workmanship, and materials,
Pahlavi rugs are among the finest," says Leon Mayeri, an Oriental
rug dealer based in Berkeley, California. Elisabeth Poole, head of the
rugs and carpets department at Christie's New York, concurs: "In
terms of fineness and quality, they're some of the best Oriental rugs
ever made. The designs are absolutely perfect, and not a knot is misplaced."
According to Mary Jo Otsea, head of the carpet department at Sotheby's
New York, there's been a resurgence of interest in technically sophisticated
Pahlavi rugs in the last four years. Posy Benedict, a carpet consultant,
agrees. "There's a growing appetite for refinement. I have a series
of young investment bankers who have fallen in love with these rugs
and are buying them with great interest."
While these carpets are not thought to be good investments (they may
increase in value over the long term, but their short-term upside is
considered chancy at best), they are now abundant and very often astonishingly
inexpensive relative to other types of Oriental carpets. It's common
to hear of a masterful nine- by 12-foot Kashan that sold for $20,000
in 1980 fetching only $5,000 today—if a buyer can be found.
Many dealers draw a sharp distinction between the Pahlavi rugs of the
1920s, referred to as "semi-antiques," and carpets produced
thereafter. They say the later ones, with their more intricate designs,
longer pile, and bolder colors, possess a more formal aesthetic that
can be less appealing. "They are fussy, full of arabesques, highly
designed, and very dense," says Daniel Shaffer, editor of the London-based
Hali—an international bi-monthly magazine that's devoted to textile
arts. "Of course, that's almost how one would define Persian style."
FROM BOOM TO BUST
From the 16th to the early 18th centuries, Persian carpets were fashioned
in royal workshops for members of the court. These rugs featured intricate,
often floral designs that were based on covers and illuminated manuscripts
of Islamic texts. Weaving the hand-knotted pile of Persian carpets was
a painstaking process that took years to complete.
When commercial carpet design studios and small factories began springing
up in the second half of the 19th century, they took their inspiration—and
their weaving techniques—from the royal workshops. They also emphasized
technical quality as no workshop had before.
About three dozen of the best were dubbed masterworkshops, and the name
of the master weaver was frequently woven into rugs. The most famous
of them were Serafian, in Esfahan; Hadji Jalil, in Tabriz; and Mohtashem,
in Kashan.
The inflation of the 1970s drove currency to hard goods that were perceived
as inflation hedges and investment vehicles. An international carpet
mania erupted, and Pahlavi carpets began to fill luxury homes, executive
suites, and diplomatic settings all over the world. "For the only
time in modern history there was a rug boom," Mayeri explains.
"The industry exploded, and prices skyrocketed to historically
high levels. In the United States alone Persian rugs accounted for well
over fifty percent of the total hand-loomed rug market."
The Islamic revolution in 1978 and 1979, as well as worldwide recession,
turned the carpet boom to bust. Rug merchants and weavers fled Iran,
and carpet innovation and production rapidly deteriorated. The exodus
from the country included many people carrying rugs to sell for living
expenses, flooding the market. "The bottom completely fell out,"
Mayeri says. In 1987 the United States placed an embargo on goods and
services of Iranian origin—including Persian rugs. As Poole says,
"We attempted to get a fragment of a thirteenth-century Persian
carpet into the country and couldn't."
If that weren't enough, Persian rugs, with their intricate designs,
fell out of favor. The rug world turned its attention toward simpler
floor coverings and more primitive, coarsely woven rugs—village,
tribal, and nomadic—made throughout the Middle East. "It's
sometimes too great a challenge for an interior designer to harmonize
a classic Persian carpet with fabrics, curtains, and wall coverings,"
says James Opie, rug dealer and author from Portland, Oregon. "There's
too much color in them." Otsea agrees. "To the Western eye,
these can be more difficult to look at than a lot of other carpets.
The finest designs read very well from six inches away, but from four
feet they are so busy it's hard to appreciate them."
The pendulum of taste, however, is moving back toward Persian carpets.
Poole says there's a trend again toward darker, more traditional Persian
colors—indigo blue and red.
Mark Warwick, president of Beverly Hills-based The Systems Design, a
high-end architectural, interior design, and contracting firm, thinks
Persian rugs fit in well with the modern aesthetic. He advocates using
them throughout the house—especially in kitchens, bathrooms, and
home gyms. "A high-tech environment is perfect for these rugs,"
he says. "They ground a modern room in an eclectic way."
Narrowing Down the Selection
Today there are what one rug dealer describes as "warehouses full
of Pahlavi carpets." Because of the supply and the limited number
of aficionados, it's a field day for buyers in the know—particularly
those shopping at auctions where list prices range from one-third to
one-half of retail cost and carpets are carefully authenticated. (Both
Sotheby's and Christie's hold major rug auctions in April, September,
and December.)
According to Poole, last year Christie's New York had a "Pahlavi
Esfahan, probably 1940s, extremely finely woven" on sale with an
estimated price of $7,000 to $10,000. "It failed to find a buyer,"
she says in astonishment. Christie's also sold a 1950s Tabriz in excellent
condition for only $5,000—a rug that, Poole says, "probably
had never been used."
Otsea recalls a fine Tabriz that sold at Sotheby's in the late 1970s
for $20,000 and resold at auction last year for just $9,000. You can
also buy from a dealer, although you'll pay considerably more; hiring
an interior decorator helps, since they pay 15 to 20 percent less than
retail.
The main risk, as with all carpet buying, is purchasing an item that
isn't genuine. The best way to avoid this is by enlisting the advice
of a carpet appraiser (see "Sources" for addresses of top
dealers and appraisers), though their expertise will cost you $200 to
$350 an hour plus travel expenses. Avoid appraisers who suggest a percentage
of the carpet's appraised value as a fee. An honest appraiser can look
at a photograph of a rug and tell you if it's worth your while to hire
him. "If someone sends me a photo of a $2,500 rug, I'm not going
to allow them to spend $1,000 to get me to appraise it," states
James Ffrench, an appraiser who was head of the carpet department at
Christie's New York until November of last year.
But the best way to make sure you're getting your money's worth is to
become as much of an expert as you can. That way, you can ask the right
questions when you find a rug that interests you. Look at hundreds of
rugs to get a sense of good, better, and best in your own eyes. According
to the pros with whom we spoke, here are some of the top things an educated
buyer should do.
• Count the knots. A higher knot count renders a finer texture
and a more detailed design—which is preferred by some. It does
not, however, necessarily increase the dollar value. Knot count is classified
as "fine" (250 to 400 knots per square inch, or kpsi), "very
fine" (400 to 600 kpsi), and "superfine" (more than 600
kpsi).
• Look for a harmonious design. Elements should be proportional
and symmetrical. The border and field should relate nicely, both in
size and design. But more important is what Mayeri calls fluidity and
Ffrench calls "finesse of design." Learn to recognize a busy,
overdone rug, or one whose execution is mechanical. "The more you
look at the good ones, the more interesting they become," says
Ffrench.
• Examine the colors and ask about dyes. Overall color balance
is more important than individual colors, but a bad color or two can
ruin the look—and the value—of a rug. "If the rug has
one bad color, forget it," Mayeri advises. But don't confuse bad
colors with those that have mellowed and blended over time; they are
a hallmark of the most desirable rugs.
Colors are largely connected to the dyes used. Synthetic chrome dyes
often yield brighter, more vibrant colors. Natural dyes (also called
vegetable or vegetal dyes) tend to be muted, creating a softer look.
They are also often considered superior, both aesthetically and in terms
of aging potential.But, says Otsea, "The really important thing
is whether the colors are fast or not." One way to tell: Moisten
a white handkerchief and discreetly rub the carpet to see if color comes
off.
• Look for a signature. "If you can pick up a good Pahlavi-era
workshop carpet that you can reliably attribute to one of the named
workshops, it certainly adds value," says Daniel Shaffer. This
is especially true when the signature is in English.
• Ask what the carpet's made of. The Federal Trade Commission
requires that every carpet have a label identifying the materials used.
In terms of pile, silk and wool—or a combination thereof—are
best. Wool should be pleasant to touch, not rough or scratchy. Silk
should be real, not rayon or mercerized cotton (sometimes called art
silk). For foundations, silk and cotton are best, though wool is also
acceptable.
• Inspect the finish. The pile should be glossy and neither too
soft nor too rough. Watch out for overwashed rugs or those that have
been clumsily aged with either chemicals or heat. Look for carpets that
haven't been altered at all. "When you see an unwashed Tabriz or
Kerman, they're splendid," says Benedict.
• Check the handle and the structural integrity. Rugs should be
firm but supple with a pleasing handle, or feel. The back of the rug
should be smooth and well made with no visible flaws, such as tiny white
bumps: They frequently indicate places where the warp has broken. The
rug shouldn't be too crooked or bowed, and there mustn't be more than
one inch of difference in the length from one side to the other when
it's folded in half.
• Avoid "ballroom" and "75 percent off" sales.
They're where most Persian rug ripoffs occur.
Even if you find a rug that fulfills all these criteria, you still must
ask yourself the most important question of all: Do you like it? Says
Steve Price, a carpet expert from Virginia, "If carpets don't grab
you, don't grab them. Buy pieces that reach out to you as works of art,
ones you want to live with. Perhaps they will increase in value a lot,
but perhaps a little or not at all. That isn't important—because
you're unlikely to part with them at any price if they really affect
you."
Barry O'Connell, a Maryland carpet aficionado, relates the story of
the founder of the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., to illustrate
the value of such contrarian rug investing: "Fifty to eighty years
ago George Hewitt Meyers bought a lot of rugs that were not in fashion,
Kurdish main carpets and the like, for a song. Only now is the rest
of the collector world catching up to him. He had the foresight to ignore
what everyone else was saying. He said: 'This rug is beautiful in my
own personal aesthetic . . . I will buy it.'"
Why It's Worth the Money
Serafian Esfahan, ca. 1945.
SIZE: 3.5 by 5.5 feet.
MARKET VALUE: At least $25,000.
HALLMARKS: Signed in English; no apparent wear.
MATERIALS: Superb wool pile over a luxurious silk foundation; has a
supple, glove-leather handle.
DESIGN: Classic, dense, curvilinear floral design with central medallion;
exceptional color balance.
WORKMANSHIP: Masterworkshop quality: about 900 knots per square inch.
Tabriz, ca. 1930s.
SIZE: 4 by 5 feet.
MARKET VALUE: $15,000.
HALLMARKS: Unsigned but attributed to the Hadji Jalil masterworkshop.
MATERIALS: Top-quality wool on a cotton foundation.
DESIGN: A pale, mature-color rug with an elegant, simple design—a
highly prized look in today's decorator market.
WORKMANSHIP: Fine: 300 knots per square inch.
CARPET GLOSSARY
ABRASH: Unplanned variations in major color created when weavers change
yarn lots. Can increase the carpet's value. Antique reproductions often
have intentional abrash.
ANTIQUE: At least 100 years old.
ANTIQUE REPRODUCTIONS: Recently produced copies of classical carpets,
handwoven in India, Turkey, Nepal, Pakistan, China, Egypt, or Romania.
CARPET: Larger than six by nine feet. "Rug," though often
used interchangeably, technically refers to anything smaller.
CITY CARPET: Also called town or urban carpet. Woven by hired labor
in or near major weaving center. High degree of workmanship: often high
knot count; intricate, central floral medallion; and curvilinear designs.
CLASSICAL: Made in the 16th, 17th, and early 18th centuries.
COURT CARPET: Also called palace carpet. Usually antique and woven under
royal commission; larger than 20 by 30 feet.
FIELD: The area of the carpet that lies between its borders.
HANDLE: The feel of the carpet.
KNOT COUNT: Number of knots per square inch, abbreviated kpsi.
MATURE COLORS: Colors that have softened and harmonized over time.
NATURAL DYES: Made from traditional botanical, mineral, or insect sources.
Also called vegetable or vegetal dyes.
NEW: A carpet less than 20 years old. Sometimes called modern
SEMI-ANTIQUE: 50 to 100 years old.
WARP AND WEFT: Perpendicular silk, cotton, or wool foundation strands,
into which knots of pile are twisted. Warp runs lengthwise; weft runs
side to side.
WASHING: Treatment, usually chemical, given after a rug has been woven.
Softens colors, replicates age, and improves look and feel of pile.
WORKSHOP CARPETS: City carpets woven by hired labor under close supervision
of an experienced weaver and probably from a design sketched by him.
Masterworkshops like Serafian, Hadji Jalil, and Mohtashem produced the
finest examples.
Iran's Great Weaving Cities
City weaving started in Tabriz, Kashan, and Esfahan, then expanded in
the 1920s and 1930s. Those three cities, along with Nain, Qom, Kerman,
and Mashhad, produced the most prized Pahlavi masterworkshop carpets.
Here's a guide to the colors and designs that typify their signature
styles.
TYPE: Tabriz
COLORS: Wide range and intensity of hues, dark and monochromatic, including
dark blue.
DESIGN: Angular, classic central medallion; sometimes hunting motifs;
often mixture of weaving styles.
TYPE: Mashhad
COLORS: Vibrant tones, including deep, saturated burgundy-claret and
indigo blue.
DESIGN: Field often plain, with overall and radiating medallion.
TYPE: Nain
COLORS: Simple palettes, usually with no more than three colors. Often
light blue, beige, indigo, ivory, and camel.
DESIGN: Overall and medallion designs, often featuring animals and birds.
Floral and very densely packed.
TYPE: Kerman
COLORS: Rose, red, blue, and ivory in earlier rugs; pastel celadon,
pink, light blue in later examples.
DESIGN: Dense floral overall pattern or medallions on an open field.
TYPE: Qom
COLORS: Striking dark brown, gold, and blue with deep salmon-pink and
green highlights.
DESIGN: Often plain field around a central medallion. Sharp angular
floral, garden, or hunting designs. All-silk pile.
TYPE: Kashan
COLORS: Vivid red and blue with rose-pink details in earlier examples;
cream fields and an overall pattern, often with blue and beige in later
ones.
DESIGN: Classic, dense, curvilinear floral with central medallion.
TYPE: Esfahan
COLORS: Rich red, indigo blue, beige, and ivory.
DESIGN: Intricate classic floral pattern with central medallion, arabesques,
or tendrils.
Magic Carpets
Naturally dyed, hand-loomed "antique reproduction" rugs from
India, Turkey, Nepal, Pakistan, Egypt, China, and Romania are, according
to many experts, often just as well executed as the original Persian
rugs upon which they are based. They also cost a fifth of the price.
For example, the carpet on the left is a classic Ziegler made in the
Mahal region of northwest Persia ca. 1870. The modern reproduction Ziegler
on the right was woven in Egypt around 1996. Both are the same size
(10 by 13 feet) and have a cotton foundation, wool pile, similar number
of knots per square inch (112 on the original, 140 on the reproduction),
and highly desirable colors. The original has a retail value of $100,000;
the reproduction sells for $9,000. If you're looking to buy a reproduction,
some of the best labels include Aryana, Azeri, Black Mountain Looms,
Little River, Noble House, and Yayla.
Sizing It Up
Prices on Pahlavi masterworkshop carpets depend on date and place of
origin, as well as size. Many experts claim that quality dropped off
after the 1920s; others draw the line at the 1950s. Here are some price
ranges to give you a sense of average dealer retail. Generally speaking,
a "room size" carpet starts at six by nine feet; "oversize"
at 12 by 18 feet; and the most exceptional, the "palace" or
"court" carpets, at 20 by 30 feet.
Esfahan
1920s-1950 ROOM SIZE: $5,000-$80,000
1950s-1987 ROOM SIZE: $3,500-$30,000
EXCEPTIONAL/OVERSIZE: $100,000
Kashan
1920s-1950 ROOM SIZE: $5,000-$40,000
1950s-1987 ROOM SIZE: $3,500-$15,000
EXCEPTIONAL/OVERSIZE: $80,000
Kerman
1920s-1950 ROOM SIZE: $4,500-$20,000
1950s-1987 ROOM SIZE: $2,500-$10,000
EXCEPTIONAL/OVERSIZE: $100,000+
Mashhad
1920s-1950 ROOM SIZE: $3,500-$15,000
1950s-1987 ROOM SIZE: $2,500-$6,000
EXCEPTIONAL/OVERSIZE: $90,000
Nain
1920s-1950 ROOM SIZE: $4,000-$15,000
1950s-1987 ROOM SIZE: $2,500-$7,500
EXCEPTIONAL/OVERSIZE: $40,000
Qom
1920s-1950 ROOM SIZE: $4,000-$25,000
1950s-1987 ROOM SIZE: $2,500-$10,000
EXCEPTIONAL/OVERSIZE: $60,000
Tabriz
1920s-1950 ROOM SIZE: $5,000-$75,000
1950s-1987 ROOM SIZE: $3,500-$15,000
EXCEPTIONAL/OVERSIZE: $100,000+
Sources
APPRAISERS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF APPRAISERS 800-272-8258
POSY BENEDICT 860-868-7211 (CASH ONLY)
JAMES FFRENCH 212-717-2502 (CASH ONLY)
THE ORIENTAL RUG RETAILERS ASSOCIATION 540-832-3353
AUCTION HOUSES
CHRISTIE'S NEW YORK, 212-546-1187
SOTHEBY'S NEW YORK, 212-606-7996 (CASH ONLY)
DEALERS
ABC CARPET & HOME NEW YORK, 212-674-1144
ABC CARPET & HOME DELRAY BEACH, FL., 561-279-7777
MANSOUR LOS ANGELES, 310-652-9999
MARK KESHISHIAN & SONS, INC. CHEVY CHASE, MD, 301-654-4044
GOLDENAGERUGS.COM. BERKELEY, CA, 888-747-7847
SANTA FE ORIENTAL RUGS SANTA FE 505-982-5152
PUBLICATIONS
EAST-WEST ROOM BOOKSELLER 215-657-0178
HALI MAGAZINE LONDON, 44-171-970-4600
WEB SITES
ORIENTAL RUG REVIEW www.rugreview.com
RUG NEWS www.rugnews.com
TURKOTEK JOURNAL www.turkotek.com
The Textile Museum is open year-round Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.;
Sunday 1-5 p.m. 2320 S Street, N.W.; 202-667-0441.
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