Francis Bacon carpets pulled from sale
Two rare carpets by Francis Bacon were due to be auctioned off last month. However, the consignor, an Iranian rug dealer, suddenly took back the works. These were of much interest as they date back to Bacon’s brief stint as an interior designer early in his career and may be the only pieces remaining from his first exhibition in 1929. The carpets were estimated to sell for between £50,000-£80,000 although carpet specialist Ian Bennett felt that they would sell for much more. The art dealer who initially consigned the carpets was not familiar with Francis Bacon, and said that without the famous name associated with the pieces, they would sell for about a hundred pounds each.
The Pearl Carpet of Baroda sold for a record $5.5 million on 19th March during Sotheby’s first series of auctions held in the Gulf state of Qatar. The carpet was believed to have been created as a gift for the tomb of the Prophet Mohammad in Medina, commissioned by "Gaekwar" Kande Rao, the Maharaja of Baroda. Considered a national treasure, the carpet is adorned with 2,520 rose cut diamonds, more than 1.4 million pearls, 1,000 cabochon rubies and close to 600 emeralds.
The Hudson River Valley collection was a watershed event in the antique carpet and rare rugs market. It marked a truly unique and rare opportunity for serious collectors to view and acquire art-level rugs of true quality and rarity.
Jan David Winitz, founder and president of Claremont Rug Company, called the collection a truly global event as it attracted a large number of international purchasers. Winitz believes that the best rugs are still incredibly undervalued and that it represents ‘the next frontier of art investing'.
