The James Douglas Collection, 111 Lots
James Douglas James Douglas was a serious and thoughtful collector of Baluch and other Persian tribal and village rugs—in the most positive sense of those terms. He had a natural proclivity for collecting; before his interest in rugs, he had amassed a substantial collection of fly-fishing rods, the sale of which helped fund his new passion for rugs. Initially, his focus was on “Baluch” rugs, but his analytical mindset soon led him to critically differentiate between the various sub-divisions within that category. He became the Baluch collecting world’s most dedicated collector of “Arab” Baluch rugs, seeking both outstanding examples of well-known types and highly atypical pieces. Examples of each are included here. He also explored other subsets of the “Baluch” group, such as symmetrically knotted rugs, rugs with red grounds, and—rare among American collectors—flatwoven pieces ranging from small personal bags to substantial floor coverings. His wide-ranging interest in Baluch rugs was represented in the exhibition he curated for the 2002 American Conference on Oriental Rugs in Indianapolis, much of which was later published in Inclusively Baluch, about a decade later. As his collecting journey continued, his interests expanded. While he remained focused on pieces woven for local use [...]