Catalogue: Major Autumn Auction
Auction date: Saturday 26. November 2011 at 15 o'clock
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Lot: 171 | |
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| Moghan Long Rug | An extremely rare Moghan long rug, with palmettes, rosettes, hooked diamonds and two figures of totemistic appearance arranged vertically in random order. The extra-wide four-stripe border catches the eye. The white-ground main border is decorated with diamonds enclosing four ‘C’-motifs each. The diverse, brilliant colours are characteristic of antique Moghan rugs. According to its woven date, a comparative piece published by Battilossi was made in 1825. – Cut sides, new overcasting, somewhat reduced ends, slight signs of wear and small repairs, several stitched tears. | |
| Origin: South East Caucasus |
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| Dimensions: 317 x 97 cm |
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| Age: First half 19th century |
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| Estimate: 9,000.00 € |
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| Literature: BATTILOSSI, MAURIZIO, Tappeti d'Antiquariato. Catalogo II. Turin 1987, no. 6 |
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Lot: 172 | |
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| Late Gothic Tapestry Fragment | This late Gothic Upper Rhine tapestry of historic significance can be dated to the period around 1480 - 1490. It is part of a longer panel showing several scenes. Such narrow woven wall hangings were produced as commissions for aristocrats or wealthy citizens and hung above benches. Frequently they contain banderoles and escutcheons. The exact provenance of tapestries from the Upper Rhine can rarely be determined with certainty. They were woven in small workshops in the surroundings of Basel and Strasbourg. However, as our tapestry shows stylistic similarities to representations of figures and plants in a tapestry kept in the Muri-Gries monastery of Bolzano, which was woven in a Basel workshop, we assume that it was also produced in Basel. On a blue ground, the tapestry depicts an execution by the wheel, watched by spectators. Possibly based on an Old Testament story, the execution scene is not conclusive enough in iconography to attribute it to a specific Bible passage. At the lower end of the picture, an unclothed man is sprawled on the ground, cruelly bound with leather thongs to stakes rammed into the ground to render him immobile. An executioner wearing a medieval outfit of red trousers and blue doublet, with a two-handed sword at his side, stands over him, lifting a spoked wheel in both hands to smash down on the delinquent, who is already bleeding from the mouth. The drastic representation corresponds to the medieval narrative style, which was extremely descriptive and often graphic. Four figures are standing in the left half of the picture. The central figure of the group is a king assuming a judges’s pose: wearing a crown and a cloak trimmed with ermine, he holds a long sceptre crowned by a lily in his right hand while pointing to the condemned man with his left. The woman standing beside the judge, wearing a pleated hood, looks at him, her hand raised before her chest in a gesture of apology. A man seen near the upper left-hand edge of the picture is a mere spectator; another man inside a pen fenced by wooden slats is using a bludgeon on a dog that is attacking him. A large tree is depicted on the right-hand side of the picture; before it stands a horse, of which only the head, neck and chest are visible as the tapestry has been cut there. When attempting an interpretation of the execution scene, we must first emphasise that execution by the wheel was reserved for robbers and murderers. In this context, the tapestry would have served as a deterrent against such crimes. However, it is also conceivable that the scene shows the execution of an adulterer or rapist. In accordance with the Old Testament, adultery was punishable by death. If adultery took place “in the fields”, the woman was presumed innocent and only the man was punished. However, in that case execution would have been by stoning. It is unlikely that we will determine the exact historical reference of the scene depicted here. The moralising message of the image fits in well with the social context of the late Middle Ages – a period of change and loose morals, which was deplored by many contemporaries at the time. - The tapestry is finely and carefully woven, with some details executed in silk. A small section of the original selvedge survives at the upper right-hand edge; the remainder of the tapestry has been cut all around and backed with fabric. | |
| Origin: Switzerland, Basel |
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| Dimensions: 58 x 80 cm |
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| Age: Late 15th century |
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| Estimate: 55,000.00 € |
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| Literature: RAPP BURI, ANNA & STUCKY-SCHÜRER, MONICA, zahm und wild. Basler und Straßburger Bildteppiche des 15. Jahrhunderts. Mainz 1990, no. 60 |
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Lot: 173 | |
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| Tabriz | This square Tabriz has a star-shaped central medallion superimposed on a Herati design covering a blue field, with arabesques and blossoms placed in the green corners. The wide border area shows large Herat palmettes, sickle leaves and rosettes linked by an elegantly drawn vine. The very rare format indicates that this Tabriz was woven as a commission. The item was purchased from Ulrich Schürmann in Cologne in 1974. – Original finishes all around, slight signs of wear in the pile, in good overall condition. | |
| Origin: North West Persia, Azerbaijan |
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| Dimensions: 240 x 234 cm |
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| Age: Second half 19th century |
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| Estimate: 12,000.00 € |
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Lot: 174 | |
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| Kashan | A red-ground Kashan workshop carpet showing a very dense design of spiralling twigs, arabesques and palmettes drawn in a lively style, as well as a large, eight-pointed medallion in grey-brown with a red central motif. The main border contains palmettes in an arabesque vine design. Dense velvety pile. – Good condition, new overcasting along the original selvedges in places, both ends minimally reduced. | |
| Origin: Central Persia |
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| Dimensions: 204 x 140 cm |
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| Age: First quarter 20th century |
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| Estimate: 4,800.00 € |
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Lot: 175 | |
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| Tat Shadda | This flatwoven blanket displays a frieze-like design of horizontal panels, alternately containing mythological animal figures, botehs and hooked diamonds, as well as a wide, brown-ground border of tree forms decorated with birds. It is probably a weaving by the Tat tribe inhabiting the Absheron peninsula in the district of Baku during the 19th century. – Signs of age and wear, rewoven sections, tears. Backed with brown fabric. | |
| Origin: South East Caucasus, Baku region |
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| Dimensions: 190 x 115 cm |
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| Age: Late 19th century |
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| Estimate: 4,400.00 € |
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| Literature: BENNETT, IAN, Teppiche der Welt. Munich 1982, ill. p. 254 top right |
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Lot: 176 | |
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| Bijar Long Rug | A white-ground long rug from the Bijar area, its field decorated with a dense repeat of geometric, stylised flowering trees arranged in seven design blocks. The red-ground main border shows strikingly elongated palmettes, rosettes and sickle leaves linked by green vines. – Original finishes all around, some damage to the sides, low spots in the pile. | |
| Origin: North West Persia |
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| Dimensions: 290 x 101 cm |
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| Age: Second half 19th century |
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| Estimate: 2,500.00 € |
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Lot: 177 | |
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| Khotan Mat | The purpose of this rare, small-format Khotan rug is unclear; its field shows two rectangles with meander outlines, each enclosing a rosette. It either served as a mat for sitting or as a saddle rug. – Slight signs of wear, new overcasting along the sides in places, several old restored areas. | |
| Origin: Central Asia, East Turkestan |
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| Dimensions: 79 x 52 cm |
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| Age: First half 19th century |
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| Estimate: 5,800.00 € |
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Lot: 178 | |
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| Ningxia Bench Runner | Four compartments from one of the long bench runners that were placed on long stone benches in Tibetan monasteries to serve as a prayer mat for the monks. – Slight signs of age and wear. | |
| Origin: West China |
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| Dimensions: 211 x 56 cm |
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| Age: First half 19th century |
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| Estimate: 2,000.00 € |
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Lot: 179 | |
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| Nurata Suzani | A rare Suzani from Nurata. The field, showing a central circular medallion and four large, diagonal flowering trees, is clearly separated from the extra-wide border. The wide spaces between the flowering trees and the shrubs in the border adds to the impression that a smaller field has been superimposed on the field. The Suzani is pleasing on account of its elegant style of drawing, harmonious and mellow colours and loving details, such as the delicate panicles, the two water jugs and two small birds in the field. Two comparable Suzanis are in the Museum für Völkerkunde Berlin (Rickmers Collection) and the Vok Collection. – Backed with fabric and padded. Several holes in the foundation, restored areas. | |
| Origin: Central Asia, Uzbekistan |
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| Dimensions: 241 x 167 cm |
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| Age: Mid 19th century |
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| Estimate: 6,000.00 € |
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| Literature: KALTER, JOHANNES & PALALOI, MARGARETA, Usbekistan. Erben der Seidenstraße. Stuttgart 1995, ill. 549 *** VOK, IGNAZIO, Vok Collection. Suzani. Eine textile Kunst aus Zentralasien. Munich 1994, no. 17 |
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Lot: 180 | |
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| Tekke Main Carpet | An early Tekke main carpet of open design; the field contains four rows of ten very well drawn primary güls interspersed with kurbaghe secondary motifs. In Tekke main carpets, a border decorated exclusively with octagons enclosing stars and accompanied by narrow gyak stripes, as seen in this example, is considered an indication of an early date. – Signs of age and wear, low spots in the pile, old repairs and several inserted sections. The kilim ends are missing. | |
| Origin: Central Asia, West Turkestan |
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| Dimensions: 239 x 197 cm |
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| Age: Early 19th century |
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| Estimate: 13,500.00 € |
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| Literature: MACKIE, LOUISE & THOMPSON, JON, Turkmen. Tribal Carpets and Traditions. Washington D.C. 1980, no. 26 *** TSAREVA, ELENA, Turkmen Carpets. Masterpieces of Steppe Art, from 16th to 19th centuries. The Hoffmeister collection. Stuttgart 2011, no. 29 |
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