Oriental rugs stand the tests of time
Well-made they stand up to wear and tear
NEW YORK — The stunned crowd at Sotheby’s burst into a rare round of applause when a museum-quality Persian carpet sold for a recordsetting $33.76 million in June.
The hand-knotted, 17th century Clark Sickle-Leaf carpet, with a red ground and dark blue border, is “still dazzling to the eye,” said Mary Jo Otsea, Sotheby’s senior consultant for rugs and carpets.
While few of us can fathom spending so much money on a showpiece, Oriental carpets, made in countries from Turkey to China, are available at various prices and have long been a popular part of home decor.
“Older carpets look great with everything,” Otsea said. “They add great warmth by their colour and design. Older carpets have a wonderful patina and character that you can’t capture in a new piece. Each one is different. You’re not going to see the same thing when you go into everyone’s house.”
Doris Athineos, the arts and antiques editor for Traditional Home magazine, said the sale of the Clark Sickle-Leaf carpet may inspire people to look at the carpets with a new eye.
“It gives them confidence to pull the trigger on something they may be eyeing, and confidence if they’ve inherited them from a great aunt or have them rolled up and stored. They might think, ‘Hey maybe I should put that out,’ ” Athineos said.
Whether antiques or reproductions, the carpets work well in any kind of house or with any kind of decor, she said.
Try one in any room except the kitchen, Athineos recommends, especially the space where people spend the most time, perhaps the media room.
“That’s the kind of wear those carpets can take,” she said. “They’re meant to be walked on.”
Otsea recommends the right combination of colour, design, technique and tradition.