Private Air New York

www.privateairny.com Private Air | Winter 2019/2020 57 THE COLLECTION The Oriental Rug Market Pyramid Rankings in the rug pyramid are based on artistry, craftsmanship, quality of materials, condition, age and provenance. © Claremont Rug Company Museum-Quality | 13th to 18th centuries and early 19th century High-Collectible | Primarily early 19 th century to 1875 Connoisseur-Caliber | Primarily circa 1850 to late 19th century High-Decorative | Primarily circa 1875 to 1910 Decorative | Primarily circa 1910 to 1970 Reproductions | Typically 19 70 to present ABOVE: The "Oriental Rug Market Pyramid" created by Jan David Winitz, clarifies the often confusing field of handwoven rugs for all—from new buyers to serious investors. OPPOSITE: The cover rug of Sotheby's catalog for its auction of the Estate of Vojtech Blau shows a 160-year-old Bakshaish, estimated $80,000/$120,000 and sold for $363,000. S tarting in the late 1800s, anxious to emulate European aristocracy, American magnates began amassing grand collections of premier-quality Persian rugs from the Safavid Dynasty (16th century through mid-18th century) and other early Oriental rugs to embellish their palatial homes. Many of the collectors' names remain familiar: John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, and William Randolph Hearst. Over a ten-year-period, George W. Vanderbilt, a descendant of Cornelius, purchased 458 rugs for his residences, including his 250-room North Carolina Biltmore estate. Today, pieces from these collections can be found in New York's Metropolitan Museum, London's Victoria and Albert Museum, and other august venues. Such top- tier pieces rarely come to auction, but when they do, they receive considerable attention. In 2013, a 17th-century Mughal rug from the Vanderbilt collection sold at Christie's for $7.6 million. For the last forty years, Jan David Winitz, president and founder of Claremont Rug Company in Northern California, has followed in the footsteps of the art dealers who helped curate and assemble these important, early collections. To that end, Winitz developed his "Oriental Rug Market Pyramid," a learning tool based on his long-time knowledge and experience. It has successfully helped 21st-century rug aficionados understand the merits of these extraordinary artifacts in their quest to acquire masterworks for display in their homes (some of Claremont clients' substantial residences can accommodate 70 rugs or more at a time). Winitz's Rug Pyramid, a six-level ranking of all handwoven Oriental rugs from historical pieces to modern production, takes into consideration every aspect from artistry, craftsmanship, quality of materials, condition, rarity and age, to provenance. Auction records for Museum-Level rugs, the highest tier in Winitz's pyramid — primarily 15th through 18th-century pieces that the early American mega-collectors amassed — continue to be broken. Several years ago, one sold at auction for $9.59 million, a record at the time. In 2013, that record more than tripled when a 17th century Sickle Leaf Kirman, formerly owned by mining, banking and railroad baron William A. Clark and estimated between $5 million and $7 million, pulled in a whopping $33.7 million. Today, intact Level 1 pieces are incredibly scarce and cost-prohibitive for floor use, and few galleries and auction houses have much access to Level 2 and Level 3 rugs, the finest pieces woven in the 19th century.

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