Private Air New York

www.privateairny.com Private Air | Winter 2019/2020 58 THE COLLECTION anks in great part to Claremont's efforts, the market for these High- Collectible and Connoisseur- Caliber carpets has been escalating. Case in point is Claremont's "Potomac Collection", an assemblage of over 130 extremely rare 19th century pieces amassed over three generations by the heiress of a Virginia-based family, was held this summer. Given the collection's exceptionally high merit, this cache was offered for sale by invitation only to Claremont's preferred clients. Within three months of the opening of this private sale, 80% had sold, a feat that might have taken a year to achieve a decade ago. For every expertly curated collection Claremont purchases, dozens of rug caches are offered that fail to meet Winitz's exacting standards. e Potomac Collection passed muster. e last important auction focusing on these late 18th century to 1875 rugs, from the estate of Vojtech Blau, a prominent New York carpet gallery owner in the mid-20th century, was held to soaring success by Sotheby's in December 2006. Its top lot, a 9' x 11' Persian Bakshaish rug woven 160 years ago, estimated at $80,000 to $120,000, sold for $363,000. To understand the significance of this uptick of interest in Level 2 and 3 rugs, it helps to gain insight into why broad-scale recognition of these treasures has been so long in coming. e best of these High-Collectible and Connoisseur-Caliber rugs, which are the epicenter of this elevated collecting interest, were created from the late 18th century through 19th century, during the rule of the Persian Qatar Dynasty. In 1925, the last of the Persian monarchies, the Pahlavis, came to power, making a point of downplaying the Qatar-period weavings for political reasons, in the same way that newly minted Egyptian pharaohs routinely defaced or destroyed the statues and monuments of their predecessors. is age-old tactic by the Pahlavis is explored in the just-published book, e Persian Carpet: e Forgotten Years 1722-1872 by Hadi Maktabi. It says: "From the political perspective, the Safavid period was lionized, and all subsequent art history was dismissed until the restorative dawn of the Pahlavi rule" (p.7). This vaulted Great Room with its spectacular view hosts two High-Collectible Persian antique carpets that add a stirring layer of sublime artistry to the gracious ambiance.

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