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Seth J Hersh in Indonesia, 1970's A significant portion of my life was spent in Indonesia. I went to Indonesia as a drilling engineer in 1972. Those were heady days: two years out of college, working 24/7 for a week, running an offshore drilling rig in the Java Sea. Oil priced at $3/barrel! On my free time--I’d work a week offshore and take off for a week--I would scour the antique shops in Jakarta, where I often found myself going through piles of exotic weavings and batiks. And there were many! Indonesia is a country of islands, each with its own distinctive culture, textile style, design and expression. Java. Bali. Flores. Sumba. Roti. Sabu. Lomblen. Kalimantan/Borneo. Sumatra. Sulawesi. These are a few of the many. Sumba Women Dressing Up in Sarongs from Flores In 1975, I quit my job as a drilling engineer and with six months left on my residence visa (Time is a big bonus when travelling Indonesia’s far-flung archipelago.), I headed east to Sumba, the island which had the boldest artwork for my untutored eye. I knew very little about ikat weavings but there was a strong urge for “destination Sumba”. I travelled [...]

DAY TWO: Ethnographic Arts | Textiles ~378 Lots~ Live Showroom Auction | Tuesday, November 15, 2022, 10AM Public Exhibition: November 11-12-13, 11AM-4PM Join Us! Reception and Refreshments, Sunday, November 13, Noon - 4PM Browse the Auction Catalog and Bid Live on these Portals: Absentee Bid Form | Telephone Bid Form | Terms and Conditions (PDF) Also accepting phone and absentee bids. Please Note: There Are No Hidden or Confidential Reserves; All Acceptable Bidding Commences at the Online Start Price. We Sell Approximately 60-80 Lots Per Hour.  

DAY ONE Ethnographic, Ancient, Tribal & Asian Arts ~562 Lots~ Live Showroom Auction | Monday, November 14, 2022, 10AM Public Exhibition: November 11-12-13, 11AM-4PM Join Us! Reception and Refreshments, Sunday, November 13, Noon - 4PM Browse the Auction Catalog and Bid Live on these Portals: Absentee Bid Form | Telephone Bid Form | Terms and Conditions (PDF) Also accepting phone and absentee bids. Please Note: There Are No Hidden or Confidential Reserves; All Acceptable Bidding Commences at the Online Start Price. We Sell Approximately 60-80 Lots Per Hour.

Dark Shadows | Objects of Intrigue & Strangeness Featuring a Rare Collection of Fresh to the Market Vampire Killing Artifacts Live Showroom Auction: Halloween, Monday, October 31, 2022, 11AM ET Public Exhibition: October 28-29-30, 11AM-4PM Also accepting phone and absentee bids.  Browse the Auction Catalog and Bid Live on these Portals:   Absentee Bid Form | Telephone Bid Form | Terms and Conditions (PDF) Please Note: There Are No Hidden or Confidential Reserves; All Acceptable Bidding Commences at the Online Start Price. We Sell Approximately 60-80 Lots Per Hour. Shown below are a small sampling of lots. Please go to one of the online portal links above to view the entire auction catalog.

The Dardashti Collection | Fine Antique Oriental Rugs & Carpets ~241 Lots~ Browse the Virtual Print Catalog Live Showroom Auction Monday, October 24, 2022, 11AM ET Public Exhibition: October 20 - 23, 11am - 4pm Join Us! Reception and Refreshments, Sunday, October 23, Noon - 4PM Browse the Auction Catalog and Bid Live on these Portals:   Absentee Bid Form | Telephone Bid Form | Terms and Conditions (PDF) Also accepting phone and absentee bids. Please Note: There Are No Hidden or Confidential Reserves; All Acceptable Bidding Commences at the Online Start Price. We Sell Approximately 60-80 Lots Per Hour. Shown below are a sampling of lots. Please go to one of the online portal links above to view the entire auction catalog.

Sylvia and Philip Chaplain Collection Asian Art | Fine, Folk & Ethnographic Art | Decorative Arts Live Showroom Auction: Monday, September 19, 2022, 10AM ET Public Exhibition: September 16-17-18, 11AM – 4PM Join Us! Exhibition Reception & Refreshments: Sunday, September 18, Noon – 3PM Also accepting phone and absentee bids.  Sylvia and Philip Chaplain were involved in the business of art and antique collecting for over six decades. The Chaplains opened their first shop on Charles Street on Beacon Hill, and after several Boston locations, moved the business to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The transition towards Asian arts and antiques began with the purchase of a handful of Japanese woodblock prints. After selling one for $90 and then discovering it was worth more than $500, they realized it was time to start dedicating themselves to learning more about the pieces they had acquired. In that journey began their love affair with all things Asian. Their collection expanded as they traveled throughout Asia and they participated in antique shows around the US, including the esteemed Arts of Pacific Asia shows in New York City and San Francisco. Browse the Auction Catalog and [...]

When Artists Collect | Jimmy and Angela Clark Collection ~132 Lots~ Live Showroom Auction: Wednesday, September 14, 2022, 11AM ET Public Exhibition: September 10-11-12-13, 11AM – 4PM Join Us! Exhibition Reception & Refreshments: Sunday, September 11, Noon – 3PM Also accepting phone and absentee bids.  Browse the Auction Catalog and Bid Live on these Portals:   Absentee Bid Form | Telephone Bid Form | Terms and Conditions (PDF) Please Note: There Are No Hidden or Confidential Reserves; All Acceptable Bidding Commences at the Online Start Price. We Sell Approximately 60-80 Lots Per Hour. Shown below are a small sampling of lots. Please go to one of the online portal links above to view the entire auction catalog.  

Join Us On A Video Stroll Carol Summers Collection A Treasury of Indian Folk Textiles ~243 Lots~ Live Showroom Auction: Monday, September 12, 2022, 11AM ET Public Exhibition: September 10-11, 11AM – 4PM Join Us! Exhibition Reception & Refreshments: Sunday, September 11, Noon – 3PM Also accepting phone and absentee bids.  Carol Summers (1925–2016) of Santa Cruz, California, was an American printmaker, well known for creating works by woodcut process. He created his art through a method he developed in the 1950s that became known as the 'Carol Summers technique': soaking large blocks of wood in ink, he placed them in patterns on one side of a piece of paper in order to give beautiful, glowing, richly colored shapes to the other side. Looking at Summers’ work, it is not hard to understand why he was drawn to the vibrancy of color in the folk textiles of India. Beginning in 1974, Summers made many trips to India with his wife, Joan, first to present workshops as an artist, eventually to lead tours, and to collect textiles. His collection has all the hallmarks of someone who hunted with an artist’s eye for the piece [...]

Oriental Rugs & Kilims from American Estates | 53 ~296 Lots~ Live Showroom Auction: Wednesday, August 31, 2022, 11AM ET Public Exhibition: August 29-30, 11am-4pm, Appointment required, contact frontdesk@materialculture.com Also accepting phone and absentee bids.  Browse the Auction Catalog and Bid Live on these Portals:   Absentee Bid Form | Telephone Bid Form | Terms and Conditions (PDF) Please Note: There Are No Hidden or Confidential Reserves; All Acceptable Bidding Commences at the Online Start Price. We Sell Approximately 60-80 Lots Per Hour. Shown below are a small sampling of lots. Please go to one of the online portal links above to view the entire auction catalog.

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