World's Most Expensive Carpet: The Washington D.C. Corcoran Art Gallery's Clark Sickle-Leaf Sells for 33 million plus commissions

9/4/2015 the Clark Sickle Leaf Carpet

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Author:jc email: Fri, Sep 4th, 2015 05:53:50 AM

Topic: the Clark Sickle Leaf Carpet

If anyone in RugDumb questions how the western world’s majormuseums view the oriental carpet let RK put to rest belief the directorsand curators of said museum’s “important” departments revere andrespect a tradition that has inspired numerous great artists and theirwork for centuries.

Thinking this is not the truth is nothing but wishful thinking to the max;proof of which now includes Washington D.C.’s Corcoran Art Gallery’sdecision to sell, aka deaccession in museum world parlance, a group ofcarpets donated by its most esteemed benefactor William A Clark,former Senator from Montana.

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Clarke bequeathed the group on his death in 1925, among which is thefamous “sickleleaf” carpet – the star lot in the forthcoming sotheby NewYork sale.

The Corcorcan’s decision to sell the rug, according to Philip Brookmanchief curator and head of research at the Corcoran, “…will keep aliveSen. Clark’s generous legacy by enabling us to grow our core collectionsand make dynamic acquisition choices.”



This might sound good to the stiffs on the Corcoran’s board of directorsbut to anyone else not inebriated with the apparent koolaid Brookman,the museum’s director and the board have drunk it reeks of idiocy andstupidity almost beyond comprehension.

The 24 other “lesser” carpets in the group, which will be sold at thesotheby sale, might raise a couple of million dollars and added to the 57million the sickleleaf will probably bring make a total of max 10 million.

Now then race fans what kind of dynamic acquisitions in the painting orsculpture fields will that allow a museum like the Corcoran to make?

Should you be in doubt let RK inform you hardly any, as these fields arehot as supernova and 10 million is nothing but chumpchange.

But the message selling the carpet’s shouts is even more loud and clear:There is little to no respect for antique historic carpets and weavings inthe museum world.

And quite honestly RK doubts there ever will be thanks to the twits,thieves and morons, like dennis dodds michael franses, etc, who are theacknowledged, and highly challenged in RK’s opinion, “leaders” ofrugDUMB.

So Clark’s prized the sickleleaf carpet will leave America destined weare sure for the Persian Gulf region, where it will hopefully be moreappreciated.

The Corcoran decision is foolish, and just like the Myer’s Textile Museumdebacle and destruction at the hands of another fool, big mouth brucebaganz, sends a poignant message and reminder that for the past fouror five decades oriental rug studies have completely failed to do anythingbut hasten the demise of appreciation for woven arts in the westernworld.

By the way, RK will not be surprised to see the sickleleaf carpet sell formore than 10 million, and in fact we will be willing to bet at long odds itmight even reach 15 million.

Remember 10 or 15 million dollars is chumpchange in the art world andsuch a carpet is in most people’s eyes “great art”.



Is it in RK’s?

Don’t start us down that road. All we will say is it’s a “pretty carpet” thatwe find without soul and, worse, incredibly highly predictable.

It lacks mystery, and while we recently told someone it was a fragmentwe now realize our error in making such a statement.

That said it has always appeared to us to be a fragment. It’s designprobably taken from a cartoon for a much larger weaving, where itsperfectly obvious symmetry might have been balanced and played off bya surrounding floral panoply that would have enabled the design toachieve greater punch, power and, yes, some mystery.

Remember, race fans, “pretty” in the art world is easily created – mysteryfar, far harder to achieve.

And on that note we will leave the sickleleaf carpet to those with bigwallets who never fail to show they have no clue as to what carpet andtextile mystery appreciating and making is, and was, all about.

Part Two

That rag hali’s article on the sickle leaf carpet begins by quoting A.U.Pope’s essay in “An Introduction to Persian Art” that was published in1930.

“Here one of the world’s greatest connoisseurs of Persian art refers tothe best carpets of the high Safavid age as expressing ‘the essentialspirit of the country’s art’ and representing ‘the supremest efforts ofwhich the craft was capable’.



Had we the chance RK would definitely have a bone to pick with Popeconcerning this statement.

But we were born to late for that, so we will pick it with those at that raghali instead.

Why, might readers ask?

Simply put, quoting Pope on what the supremest achievement of “the



high Safavid age” of Persian woven art might be like quoting Hitler onhow to run a country.

Pope, like franses, thompson, Denny and a host of other living and nowpassed on rug experts, connoisseurs and poseurs, completelydisregards weaving made outside the confines of royal, or wanna be,ateliers and workshops.

The art of ‘peasants’ as elitists like pope and the rest we named andcould name would call these people, ie those who lived in villages,encampments and khan circles, is completely ignored.

Let’s all remember during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, when themasterpieces of supreme Persian art Pope refers were woven, Turkmengroups in Persia were weaving equally supreme carpets and trappings.

The only difference is those Turkmen weavings were far rarer than themultitudes of ‘classical’ Persian carpets that were produced, and theirless than royal birth relegated them far from the eyes and, yes,commercial instincts of traders, merchants and their clientel.

There is no doubt this is the case, and one does not need c14 dating toprove some very few of the surviving ‘early’ Turkmen weavings are equalin age to oldest Safavid ones.

RK has been championing this reality for decades now, and finally thereis some light at the end of the tunnel.

However, those twits at that rag hali and the franseses, thompsons,Dennys et.al. will, we promise you, be the last of the Mohicans toacknowledge it.

Pope’s statement is old school, not because it is from 1930, but becausehe was prejudiced just as franses, thompson, Denny et.al remain today.

And while the surface brilliance of a vase carpet like the Corcoran sickleleaf can’t help but impress, does it say anything?

Is the geometry evocative or just pushy?

Does it move the mind to explore the cognitive subtleties and underlying



mathematic mystery a great Turkmen weaving does?

Or does it just attempt to?

Sorry RK has to say it doesn’t do any of the above, and while we areequally sure the majority of ruggies and, yes, Turkmen rug collectorshave never seen in person, let alone lived with, a 500 year or olderTurkmen weaving, RK has.

RK is not dissing Pope, or our contemporary classical carpethonchogroupies.

No, we are just informing them, and you, there is another side to theequation – a side you will never read in that rag hali or any of the booksthose contemporaries of ours have, or will, author.

OK, enough of this, let’s take a few shots at that rag hali’s sickleleafpublicity, errrrhh, article.

First off, they call it 16th century in the caption to the picture on page 47,while just about everybody agrees it is 17th century.

Why did they do this and provide no supporting argument? Don’t ask us,go ask them.

“…what we see in the Clark (sickleleaf) carpet is mastery of a host ofcontributing elements that form a harmonious whole: colour balance,design control, material perfection, and exquisite proportions.”

Is this the case? Or is it just hype?

To our eyes there is a grossness to the drawing, some elements toosmall and others too big. This creates exactly the opposite of a“harmonious whole”.

Rather, the sickleleaf overpowers the viewer with its manageable overallsmall size, something the 28 feet and more large main carpets can neverachieve unless the viewers is looking down from a second floor. Andthen, the details are lost.

This, its small viewer friendly size, is the Clark/Corcoran sickle leaf



carpet’s greatest attribute, and the one the ultimate buyer will paythrough the nose to acquire.

Period, end of discussion.

It is also one that goes ignored in the article.

From all the pictures we have seen there is little abrash, an almostmonochromatic use of colors reds and blues – all of the same hue.

Whereas masterly use of abrash is one of the most important factors thattake a carpet to the highest visual level.

This, the sickleleaf lacks, though it does try to make up by cramming awhole basket full of floral elements in close juxtaposition.

Race fans, this ain’t the same thing.

“The thrill of the design” that rag hali announces “ lies in its muscularenergy and natural vitality…”

This is nothing but more hype and worthless blah blah.

In fact the sickle leaf carpet is quite feminine, and there is far fromanything natural about the universe of diverse floral forms that havebeen, granted, artfully thrown together.

“It is in the best of the vase carpets” they go on to say “that the coloursense particular to Persian art finds its most deft expression”.

Really? What about all the other types of earlier Safavid carpets withtheir far more complex designs and color palettes.

Frankly this ‘article’ reads like a seller’s argument to “prove” his carpet isthe best.

Why does that rag hali’s article come off like this?

Here’s the answer, race fans: although michael franses, who is that raghali final arbiter of what gets said, has no skin in the game directly, hesure does indirectly.



Fanning the fires of desire in the small group of possible bidders is hisagenda, and what could be a better way to do that than to praise thesickleleaf carpet to the max.

We have already published the commentary from “The Eastern Carpet inthe Western World” exhibition catalog, a publication franses in theoryhelped to write, and while it surely doesn’t dismiss the Corcoran’s sickleleaf carpet it definitely doesn’t praise it to the heights that rag hali does.

For all RK knows, and suspects, we would not be surprised if franses willbe a bidder representing the museum authority in Doha who employshim, for someone else under cover, or directly for himself, or through anagent, or through membership in a cartel that will purchase it and thendivide the spoils of its resale.

The article claims “…The placement of the colors, whether lying next toeach other or at different places throughout the whole, helps to draw theeye through the design, introducing rhythm, establishing balance andcreating emphasis.”

Really?

If anything these optical manifestations are due totally to the grosslyoversized and exaggerated sickleleaves, and not the rather monotonoususes of basically red, blue and white colors or any other elements of thedesign.

To prove this notice the subservient image the central cypress trees arerelegated to, one can hardly make them out.

This is far from great art, where every element is distinct and clearlydefined.

That rag hali’s analysis smacks of an amateurish attempt to prove itselfintellectual, which is far from the case and only imagined by an authorwho vainly tries to impress those he knows do not know the differencebetween reality and his fantastical assertions.

Compare this with what the far more truthful, and should we say, expertwriters who wrote “The Eastern Carpet in the Western World”commentary of the Clark/Corcoran sickleleaf carpet.



That rag hali’s first:

“In the field, the overlaying of three planes of scrolling floral designrequires each to have a set and defined function; each spiraling vine isallowed to flow, contort, and intersect but also to fully resolve andterminate in a sickleleaf or plump palmette.”

Now the 1983 “Eastern Carpet in the Western World” catalog:

“This exquisite rug has the same technical characteristics as the vaserugs and its field and border designs are closely related to the earliestexamples of that class. But the swelling blossoms of the vase rugs arehere reduced and the energy of the design has been transferred into thepairs of sickleleaf leaves…The present design lacks the severe internallogic of the vase design…and is a sophisticated hybridization…the mainstems bearing the sickleleaves and large blossoms meanderinconsequentially, intersecting with a variety of trees and shrubsdepicted on a much smaller scale, as if the garden landscape wereglimpsed through a tangle of briars.”

Whose version do you think is more correct?

We also disagree with this positively dumb statement that rag halimakes:

“Extraordinary skill is required the create the complexity and density ofthis composition within the relative small size of this carpet and within thelimitations of the socalled Vase carpet weaving technique.”

First off, the smaller the carpet the easier it is to plot the swirling tendrils;and, second, the fact the Vase carpet weaving technique produces asmaller more compact knotend allows a far finer mosaic of design to bedelineated.

The fact franses has spent, and now spends, the majority of his timetalking at people who know nothing about carpets, and believe he does,has allowed him to think he can say anything and get away with it.

And this is definitely the case as we have pointed out before onRugKazbah.com.



This is the reason the article in question makes these rug 101.

Saving the best for last franses, who is sure to be the author of thishyperbolic eulogy for the Clark/Corcoran sickle leaf carpet’s death as apart of an American museum and its afterlife somewhere else, states thefollowing as his final words:

“Whether collectors of today appreciate the finest carpets as art, to theextent they were revered in the courts of 16th century Iran, will be seenin New York on 5 June 2013.”

Written with true smug, holier than thou pomposity franses and that raghali attempt to both prod and, yes, cow any possible buyer who is stupidenough to waste time reading something as pedestrian anddisingenuous as this article. One the seller, sotheby New York, mightwish they could put in their catalog.

In closing were we a buyer, and we surely could never compete even fora tenth of the opening bid, we would be insulted a pipsqueek likemichael franses would attempt to slap us with such a meaninglesschallenge.

The reason franses is so foolish to offer such a ploy undoubtedly rests inhis lack of any education beyond grade school.

Education surely doesn’t teach anyone how to act properly, but the lackof it often most assuredly doesn't.

And you're right if you notice RK dislikes franses and all he stands for.

But this does not change the fact what we write about him, and hisopinions concerning the Clark/Corcoran sickle leaf carpet, are true.

Facts also demonstrate he was only able to succeed in a businesswhere knowledge is a detriment to making money; a business where liespass for truth; a business where an aging demographic and no newblood is choking any possibilities for advancement; a business where noone has the nerve or honesty to call franses or any of the other pseudoluminaries out for their mistakes and trangressions; etc, etc.

Part Three



The Clark/Corcoran Gallery of Art "sickleleaf" carpet just sold for......33million 765 thousand dollars this price includes the buyer's premium.

Congratulations to the new owner.

Now then, what would a great Safavid masterpiece carpet sell for?

100 million???

Part Four

Rumor has it the Islamic Museum in Doha, Qatar purchased the sickleleaf carpet.

But no rumormongering about who peter pap was representing.

One thing is for sure he was not representing himself.

Part Five

After our sleuthing around the sotheby sale of the 33.7 million dollarcarpet we realize we have to retract our statement mr. peter pap wasworking in cahoots with the agent of the buyer of the “sickleleaf” carpet.

We don’t actually know why pap was bidding, or for whom, but we do notnow believe he was a shill.

So RK apologizes for any misinterpretation we advanced or for any harmit might have done.

But considering peter pap’s career in rugDUMB, something RK knowsquite well since meeting pap after a sale in the parking lot of BobSkinner’s auction house in Bolton, Mass circa 1976, we doubt what wemistakenly wrote could do any damage to someone who is a posterboyfor all that’s dumb in rugDUMB.

We will not go into cataloguing or discussing pap’s trangressions.

They surely are not as egregious as a dennis doods or a cathy cootner,only for the fact pap is such a lesser player what he does has little effectoutside those who are touched by him.



Whereas a cootner and a dodds perpetrated actions that have affectedeveryone, be they dealer or collector of oriental rugs.

It’s amazing pap really believes he is a rug expert, when whatever dripsfrom his pursed lips proves he’s a turkoclown.

We had to chuckle today when we saw pap posted a Tekke torba withthis description:

" This nine gul tekke torba is individuated by small bifurcated diamondsdecorating the outer sides and abstracted trees at the elem. "

Individuated? bifurcated diamonds? abstracted trees?

It appears mr pap is suffering from bigworditis.

Nothing's more pompous than an ignorant trying to prove he isn't byusing 5 dollar words to make two cent comments.

We are sure those who count themselves as his clients believe pap isknowledgeable.

RK has news for them: Not only is he is not, we also advise caveatemptor.

Nuff said about peter aka pp pap.

Epilogue

So the dust has fallen and the sickleleaf rug is presumably on its way toits new home or already ensconced therein. But the hype continues, infact it grows, and grows.

Somehow after selling for such an immense sum, gosh as much as apainting (but still not in the league of a great painting like a Van Gogh ora Leonardo), long dead and gone senator Clarke's carpet's 'importance',and reputation, continues to increase.

Forget the fact it is really not that great, not only according to us but alsoto the authors of the highly respected "Eastern Carpet in the WesternWorld" catalog.



RK quoted it sometime ago but let us repeat what they said here, onceagain:

"This exquisite rug has the same technical characteristics as the vaserugs and its field and border designs are closely related to the earliestexamples of that class. But the swelling blossoms of the vase rugs arehere reduced and the energy of the design has been transferred into thepairs of sickleleaf leaves…The present design lacks the severe internallogic of the vase design…and is a sophisticated hybridization…the mainstems bearing the sickleleaves and large blossoms meanderinconsequentially, intersecting with a variety of trees and shrubsdepicted on a much smaller scale, as if the garden landscape wereglimpsed through a tangle of briars.”

Well, they did say it is "exquisite", even if it were " a landscape glimpsedthrough a tangle of briars".

So you decide, but don't fall into the briar patch.

Likewise, don't be swayed by the hype and exaggeration both sotheby,who had some skin in the game as the seller collecting at the least avery healthy buyer's premiumif not more, and that rag hali, who had noskin in the game but acts like they did.

Perhaps the best and most interesting event of the sale was, at 16million, mary jo otsea, acting as auctioneer, flummoxed and called out16,ooo. Then, realizing her error blurted out a dopey "Sorry, I'm not usedto all this".

Right she was, otsea is not used to anything other than place holding achair that says carpet 'expert'.

Well, not to say all her predecessors RK has known: first Kurt Igler, thenJohn Edelman, then michael grogan, then william ruprecht knew a wholehill of beans more than she.

So now a carpet has been catapulted to the nosebleeding heights ofthirty million dollars and most of rugDumb continues to rub its eyes andtry to figure out what this means to them you know, the bottom line'what's my stuff worth' what's next?



Just a word of reality here, and RK's not trying to burst anyone's bubble.

Remember the bidding seemingly would have stopped at around tenmillion had peter pap's moneyman, right the guy who put the 29 milliondollar paddle in pap's sweaty palms, not gotten himself into anationalistic tizzy trying to prove his patriotism by bidding to keep thesickleleaf in America.

Frankly, RK sees this as bogus as we do having a rug schlepper, knowlittle, like peter pap, as a trusted advisor.

Lastly, one thing RK is willing to bet a handful of sand against a stack ofbenjamins. Had you, me or even p.p. pap wheeled the sickleleaf carpetinto money man's living room and asked him to purchased it for a millionyou can be sure he would have said "thanks but no thanks".

Auction fever can be a heady brew, especially when a feeling of jingoisticfervor is a major ingredient in the mix.

To quote Richard/Jagger "it's the singer not the song".

Before we leave these issues it was in fact the Islamic Museum in Dohathat was the successful bidder and now the new owner of the ClarkSickleLeaf carpet.

The underbidder represented by peter pap was Edward “Ned” JohnsonIII the founder of Fidelity Investments, someone who we guaranteewould never have paid even a tenth of his underbid(29,000,000usd) if hehad been offered the chance to acquire it outside Sotheby’s auctionroom.

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World's Most Expensive Carpet: The Washington D.C. Corcoran Art Gallery's Clark Sickle-Leaf Sells for 33 million plus commissions

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