Friday, November 27, 2009

Lecture on 4th December 2009 at RIPPON BOSWELL in WiesbadenFriday, November 27, 2009 10:15 AM

Dear readers, dear carpet enthusiasts,

Almost at the last minute, we are pleased to announce a presentation by Dr. Georg Butterweck from Vienna, to be held at our premises on Friday, 4th December 2009, at 6 p.m., the eve of our auction on 5th December where the von Bode “Lotto” carpet will be offered for sale.

“Lotto” Designs as Symbols of the Islamic and Chinese Worldviews

Georg Butterweck, a well-known Austrian carpet scholar (“Das Standardwerk des anatolischen Knüpfteppichs – Zentralanatolien”, with Dieter Orasch, 1986), has analysed some 350 “Lotto” field designs to date. At the Volkmann meeting focusing on “Ottoman carpets in Transylvania”, held in Berlin in 2006, Butterweck spoke on a previously undiscovered secret of “Lotto” carpets: an exact design analysis has revealed that animal motifs derived from Chinese designs are concealed between the octagonal and cruciform ornaments of the field ground. Previously, Lotto designs were only analysed and interpreted in terms of the Islamic symbolism and worldview, and the designs in the field ground were neither taken into account nor identified as Chinese symbols.

Moreover, the presentation will discuss the basic concept, aesthetic structure and various styles of this famous carpet family, as well as issues relating to date. It will also establish why lot 173, the “Lotto” carpet formerly owned by art historian and Director of the Berlin Islamic Museum Wilhelm von Bode, is considered a first-rate example of its kind.

With best regards,

Detlef Maltzahn

Publicly appointed and sworn art auctioneer

RIPPON BOSWELL & CO. GmbH
Friedrichstrasse 45
D - 65185 Wiesbaden
Deutschland / Germany
Tel. 0049 611 334430
Fax 0049 611 307369

email: info@rippon-boswell-wiesbaden.de

www.rippon-boswell-wiesbaden.de

Monday, November 23, 2009

LACMA displays the Ardabil and the Coronation Carpets

LACMA Ardabil Carpet Persian rug

Coronation Carpet Lacma

A TALE OF TWO PERSIAN CARPETS: Two rare treasures, displayed together. It doesn't happen all the time, but it is happening right now at LACMA, where the Ardabil Carpet -- which was created nearly a half millennium ago -- will be displayed with the Coronation Carpet, another wondrous work. If you're mad for textiles, get to the museum, definitely before January 18th.


Coronation Carpet Lacma

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Sarkis Kish Oriental Rug Moves

More small firms want to own

Some find buying more attractive than leasing

Memphis Business Journal - by Andy Ashby

ALAN HOWELL | MBJ
Sarkis and Sarko Kish bought a building for their Oriental rug business and are leasing some of it for income.
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In the face of a tough economy, Sarkis Kish Oriental Rug has consolidated its operations by building a new facility while adding additional revenue streams.

It sells middle- to upper-end rugs, which can cost thousands of dollars, depending on size and quality.

The business, which operates in the luxury segment of retail, has faced challenges since Sept. 11, 2001, according to vice president Sarkis Kish Jr., also known as Sarko, and the company has been looking at ways of saving money to maximize profits or invest back in the business.

One way to save money was by spending money.

The business bought a property near its longtime showroom on Sanderlin for $402,000, then spent $800,000 tearing it down and building a new 8,200-square-foot facility at 5179 Wheelis.

“It’s a better investment,” Sarko says. “We’re not paying rent to somebody else; we’re paying rent to ourselves.”

The building also allowed Sarkis Kish Oriental Rug to have its showroom, rug cleaning, rug repair, rug restoration and storage facilities under one roof. The company used to lease three different spaces: one for sales, one for repair and one for cleaning.

Its showroom was in a shopping center only a block away from its current location. The shopping center had better visibility, but the company figured that into its equation for the move.

“We realized people who were shopping for a rug were making a thought-out decision to shop for one,” Sarko says. “They weren’t just going to, because they were driving by or having lunch next door, pop in and get a rug.”

Sarko’s father, Sarkis, wanted to build a facility and subsidize it by renting out bays. In addition to its operations, the company now has two 1,800-square-foot bays for other retailers.

It recently signed Harrington Brown Art Gallery to a lease.

“We got the right tenant,” Sarko says. “We can feed off each other’s businesses because we have the same clientele.”

The company is also looking for a furniture store or interior designer for the second bay.

The Shopping Center Group LLC has handled the listings for the spaces.

Carson Claybrook, a broker with the Shopping Center Group, says having the landlord and tenant in one building creates a better rapport.

“I think this gives them less of a landlord/tenant relationship feel and more of a feel that they are both trying to make this location work together,” Claybrook says.

With both land and building prices dropping due to the economy, retailers that traditionally would not consider owning real estate are now looking for opportunities, particularly when there is upside in leasing excess space to complementary businesses, according to Gary Shanks, a broker at the Shopping Center Group.

“With additional store closings and bankruptcies forthcoming, there will continue to be opportunities for retailers to relocate and/or reposition themselves in the marketplace,” Shanks says. “Retailers are taking full advantage of market conditions in knowing they have the upper hand in negotiations.”

Claybrook and Shanks have seen a rise in leases being signed in the past 90 days.

“Most of these tenants are local mom-and-pop users that have anywhere from one to three locations and are taking advantage of the lower rental rates, and the ability to lock into a good rate for an extended period of time,” Claybrook says. “We also have seen movement in bargain-based retailers such as Big Lots, Family Dollar, Dollar General, that are surviving the storm better than most retailers.”

Sarkis Kish Oriental Rug
Rug sales, cleaning and repairs
President: Sarkis Kish
Address: 5179 Wheelis Drive
Phone: (901) 818-6878
Web site: www.sarkiskish.com

aashby@bizjournals.com | 259-1732

http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2009/11/16/story4.html?b=1258347600^2434631

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Magic Carpet exhibit, lecture, slide show

Ride The Magic Carpet as you travel from the Gods of the Himalayas to the 2500 year old Scythian Pazyryk Rug of Siberia in search of the ancient symbols that have express cultural values.

Through an exhibit, education lecture and slide show titled: Expressions Through Symbols in Oriental Rugs, the powerful images woven into hand made rugs that have spoken to man since time immortal will be explored.

This unique event is free to the public and will be held

7 p.m. Saturday, at The Magic Carpet Gallery, 408 Broad St., in Nevada City.

For information, call (530) 265-9229