Material Editor

Is This The Largest Antique Persian Carpet In Existence?* Michaelian Meshed Carpet (approximately 32 feet by 46 feet), Persia, 1904. * Woven In One Piece, In Its Original Size, With Condition Suitable for Repairs and Continued Use Our preliminary research leads us to believe that it might be. The Michaelian Meshed Carpet, dated 1904, from Persia, was custom woven for the Union League Club in New York City, where it graced the club for decades until it was purchased in the 1950's by Frank Michaelian of Michaelian and Kohlberg. This carpet represents a marvel of pre-industrial age engineering, artistry, craft, and logistics. Consider these numbers: It measures 32 feet by 47 feet. The knot count is 189 knots per square inch (14 vertical/13.5 horizontal). The total number of knots in the carpet is approximately 40,932,000. The average weaver would have tied about 8000 knots in a full work day, which translates into the equivalent of 5,116 days of weaving. The width of the rug would have allowed for about 12 weavers working at a time, totaling 426 days on loom. Add to this the hand spinning of the yarn, which we estimate took an additional 4000+ days of [...]

Material Culture will host an auction of art, antiquities, textiles, carpets, and other fine artifacts, brought together under the title “The Spirits of my Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters,” the name of an exceptional painting by Prince Twins Seven-Seven, up for sale at this auction. Items from Bill Liske’s collection of antique Tibetan and Chinese textiles and artifacts will also contribute to the body of the auction, along with many other select works of fine, folk, outsider, self-taught, ethnographic and decorative art. Material Culture’s aim is to provide the best collecting opportunities in these artistic fields, with pieces of diverse origin but uniform excellence, to the benefit of buyers, including young collectors or those new to auctioneering. The auction will feature over 400 lots, and bidding begins at 11 AM on Sunday, October 14. "The Spirits of my Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters," by Prince Twins Seven-Seven Leading the auction are pieces by Nigerian artist Prince Twins Seven-Seven (1944-2011), one of Africa’s most famous contemporary artists, whose international fame has garnered him exhibitions on every continent, and a place in the permanent collections of major museums around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum of Modern Art in [...]

Dutch Colonial Satinwood Ebony Cabinet Material Culture’s September Estate Auction, sub-titled “Antiques, Collectibles, Fine and Decorative Arts,” heralds the fall with promise of more amazing deals and spectacular artifacts up for auction. The auction commences at 11 AM on Sunday, September 23. With items in all price ranges, both sale fanatics and those entirely new to auctions are invited to experience the thrill of bidding, and the joy of walking away with bargains. The auction catalogue is available at liveauctioneers.com, where anyone with access to the internet can bid on lots in real time. A substantial portion of the auction comes from an estate collection of colonial furniture—largely British, Dutch and Portuguese—manufactured in India, Ceylon and Southeast Asia. Highlights include a Dutch colonial cabinet of fine satinwood and contrasting ebony, with decorative ceramic knobs, made in Sri Lanka circa 1800, and a 19th century British colonial starburst mahogany cabinet, with five drawers. Both cabinets are in excellent condition, and are valued at $1,500-$2,500, as part of a rich offering of twenty cabinets of similar significance. Other exemplary items of colonial furniture include a 19th century British Colonial rosewood chaise longue with curved ends and a woven caned seat, [...]