Major Spring Sale, 15th May 2004
Resounding success for Pinner's Collection
The auction of the Pinner collection of Turkmen carpets on May 15, 2004 was a resounding success. Of the 110 lots in the catalog 95% sold. The total without commission was 620.000 Euros, a sum that exceeded the expectations of both the consigners and the auction house. A euphoric mood was palpable in the crowd of 250 bidders which filled the hall to more than capacity! Many telephone bidders added to the excitement. An unusually large number of left bids from all over the world and great attendance at the preview gave indication that the sale would be very successful…but no one , least of all the collector, could ever have dreamed that the outcome would have been so monumental! Once again one was impressed with the stability of the market for extraordinary antique carpets - especially when they come from a well-known collection!
The highest price in the sale was 123,200 Euros( $145,376 ) paid for a rare Animal-tree asmalyk , lot 78. A German collector on the telephone won the lot having battled it out with two German bidders in the room.
15.000 Euros opened the bidding for lot 51, a unique Arabatchi Chuval. After a bitter contest among two American and three German collectors the piece was sold for 50.000 Euros ( 61,600 Euros inclusive of Vat and commission, ($72,688) ).
The Saryk kedjebe-design torba, the best of type according to the opinions of a number of connoisseurs, sold to a German collector on the telephone for 45.000 Euros (55,440 with commissions, ($65,419) ).
Lot 68, the Salor trapping, entered into a California collection for 27.000 Euros (33,264 ($39,252)) and lot 63, a fragment of a very early Salor Memling-gul torba with glistening highlights of ruby-red silk, sold to an English collector for 28.000 Euros (34,496 ($40,705)). The concern that the 22 Tekke Torbas, a large part of the collection, offered at the same time, would not sell successfully, was groundless: all pieces sold, often clearly over their reserves. Also sought after were the larger Tekke Chuvals, among which lot 11, a very old, colorfully differentiated example with Aina guls, sold for 10.000Euros (12,320 ($14,538)), to a German bidder in the room, while lot 20, a Chuval with a particularly beautiful tree elem, sold for 14.500 Euros (17,864 ($21,080)) to a well-known American collector bidding on the telephone. The two Tekke-Khalyks, both in good condition, (lot 37 brought 6.000 Euros (7,392 ($8,723)) and lot 65 brought 9.000Euros ( 11,088 ($13,084)), seemed bargains and did not quite meet the expectations.
Lot 1, the embroidered Asmalyk, with 19.000 Euros (23,408 ($27,621)), more than doubled its estimate and remains in Germany. The early Tekke Engsi, lot 24, was bought by an interested collector from the USA for 25.000 Euros ( 30,800 ($36,652)).
Major Spring Sale
A few world-class Turkmen pieces were consigned to the second part of the auction (catalog 63), attracted by the announcement of the Pinner sale. The hopes of the consigners, that their pieces would do well in such good company, were more than fulfilled!
These pieces, not belonging to the Pinner collection, were scheduled as A lots among the offerings in the Pinner sale and by attaining excellent results thereby added impetus to the already highly-charged atmosphere: Lot 74, an unusual hitherto unknown Adler II main carpet in good condition sold for 52.000 Euros (64,064 ($75,595)) double the estimate.
A rare Arabatchi Chuval (lot 96) exceeded its valuation of 6.800 Euros fourfold and was sold to an English competitor in the room for 26.000 Euros ( 32,032 ($37,798)).
The results for lot 111, a Tekke-Kapunuk, which, in the opinion of leading collectors, causes a like example in the "Victoria and Albert Museum", London, to pale in comparison, were spectacular: opening with 6.000 Euros, with strong competion from Germany and England, the piece eventually sold for 32.000 Euros ( 39,424 ($46,520)) to an American bidder in the room. The following lot 112, a one-of-a-kind tentbag with a splendid design, consigned from an old private collection in Leipzig, climbed from 8.000 Euros to 48.000 Euros (59,136 ($69,780)).
The often dramatic course of the Pinner sale had obviously exhausted all participants. At about 6:30 PM , after the intermission, when in part 2 of the auction the lots in catalog 63 were brought up, many were fighting weariness and were beset with problems of concentration.
After a somewhat sluggish beginning, results for Caucasian village rugs, which made up a large part of the auction, were heartening: for example, lot 87, a colorfully splendid Bordjalou Kazak made 32.000 Euros (39,424 ($46,520)) and lot 101, a pinwheel Kazak, despite damages, made 25.000 (30,800 ($36,344)).
The cover illustration, a rare saffron-yellow Baktiari Khan-rug, was knocked down to a German collector for 22.000 Euros (27,104 ($31,983)). The exceptional Shahsavan flat-woven horse-cover (lot 70) went for 23.000 Euros (28,336 ($33,436)) to the Italian market while the Kirsehir saddlecover (lot 84) was sold to an American collection for 18.000 Euros ( 22,176 ($26,168)).