Antique Coptic Textile – Who is the mystery man on our Coptic Textile Fragment?

In addition to our love of antique oriental rugs and vintage carpets, we also love textiles and we are thrilled to share with you this recent acquisition! This rare and unique Coptic textile fragment dating from the fourth to seventh century AD, belongs to a unique era in art history. For those of you who are not familiar with Coptic art, it was produced by the Christian Egyptians during late antiquity. The Copts (the name “Copt” is derived from the Arabic word for Christians) were known for their beautiful textile production.

Last Wednesday Deborah Needleman, editor in chief of the WSJ Magazine and founding editor of Domino Magazine, gave the key-note address for the kick off of Spring Market 2012 at the D & D (Decoration and Design) building in NYC. The keynote set the tone for a day full of events that ranged from intimate talks by Designer Murray Moss and Architect Susan de Menil, to showroom open houses. There was even a blogger lounge where design and decor bloggers could tweet and post live from the day’s events. 

Ms. Needleman spoke about the current trends of tempering elegance with restraint in the worlds of food, fashion, photography, and how this trend is translated into today’s decor. This concept basically refers to the idea of creating a feeling of tension between the luxurious and the simple.

Fashion photography was first on the list of topics. Ms. Needleman discussed the areas where this trend is evident and sited the May 2012 story from Wall Street Journal Magazine: “Dream Weavers” which featured fashion model Stella Tennant.  Needleman said, ”She’s [Tennant] a strong model with aristocratic blood but we photographed her in a blank, quite sterile environment. It creates a tension”.  The combination of Tennant’s image, which evokes a certain kind of elegance, combined with a non-elegant and simple background, created a feeling of restrained tension.

Stella Tennant

*photo courtesy of  mode.newlicious.net

Ms. Needleman also used an image of a living room at Chatsworth (a grand English country estate) to illustrate this trend further:

Chatsworth Sitting Room

*photo courtesy of Cotedetexas.com

A flokati rug was placed on top of an antique rug and slip-covered chairs appeared as unexpected decor that ordinary traditionalists would probably not see as befitting this grand English country estate.  ”It’s all about lightening up luxurious decorating, making it feel homey and casual. Like antique and vintage fabrics, particularly those from other cultures,  using them signals that you’re literally letting people in.” remarked Needleman. Examples of this are: using “ethnic” fabrics on lampshades, something she calls “charming” and piling on ”loads of pillows and even leaving supplies out, which gives a sign of life, like a coat rack.” She emphasized the importance of making a space personal, warm, cozy, and inviting while letting the simple elements speak for themselves.

Needleman went on to explain how the food trends might also influence decor. Movements like farm to table, gastropubs, or other specialized restaurants  (The Meatball shop on the LES for example),  “are creating a sense of place, storytelling, and underscoring simplicity”  she said. The key word here is: simplicity. Most restaurants that serve highly specialized cuisines tend to present the food in a simple manner and decorate simply, while letting the taste of food speak for itself.  An image of Yves Saint-Laurent’s living at his home in Tangiers, perfectly illustrates this approach with one chintz pattern covering all the chairs and sofa, in a simple white room.

Yves St. Laurent Sitting Room

*photo courtesy of Nicespace.me

The simple stands out while the overly patterned chintz looks perfect!  Another example of restrained tension décor was exemplified in an image of a fancy set table placed in the middle of a meadow surrounded by trees. It was so out of place, yet it looked perfect… case and point!

Decoration trends do not “refresh” themselves as often as fashion trends. Therefore it’s easier to see shifts in the trends in fashion than decor.  Ms. Needleman feels that there’s something great about looking at one frivolous item paired with something simple and streamlined (both the fashion as well as décor), as seen on the runway from Italian fashion designer Valentino. She used Pauline de Rothschild’s living room as an example, pointing out its cooky furniture arrangement  and lack of art on the walls. Needleman commented, “It’s a virginal innocence combined with a richness. Something so wrong it’s right.”

Pauline de Rothschild Sitting Room

Did Moroccan Rugs Inspire Jackson Pollock?

Over the years there have been many artists that changed the way we look at the world and art. The same can be said about antique and vintage rugs with one significant difference…

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Jackson Pollock Painting

Moroccan Rug Or Jackson Pollock Painting

This past weekend the Art and Antiques Dealers League of America held their Spring show at the Park Avenue Armory. Partnered with 1stdibs.com and the ASPCA, the best of the best of decorative and fine art (that can’t yet be found in museums or aren’t already in a private collection) were on display for both viewing and buying pleasure. Portions of the proceeds made at the show went to the ASPCA.

The show was vetted, which means each and every item on display  (from nearly 60 dealers and galleries) were closely examined by a panel of experts for authenticity and accuracy in labeling. Dealers from across the United States and Europe came together to display some of their most prized pieces from their collections.

The most notable piece of the show was the sleigh  that stood front and center in the Dalva Brother’s booth. The Dalva brothers, a third generation family business, known for their collection of 18th century decorative art, had on display a sleigh that was said to have been made for the Dauphin by Jean Berain.  Can you imagine having this decorative trinket in your front hall?

Sleigh, Jean Bertain

Craig Van Den Brulle, who has a showroom in Nolita, carries a variety of both vintage and contemporary furnishing and this sculptural Riemann chair, which he displayed in a highly polished  stainless steel is available in a variety of colors. A gold one perhaps to go with this vibrant and warm Scandinavian Rya rug?

Vintage Rya Rug

Riemann Stainless Chair

Hyde Park known for their fine collection of English Georgian and Regency pieces,  presented this delicate Regency Rosewood and Brass Inlaid Center Table with Vibrant Satinwood Banding and it would look spectacular when paired with this rug:

Regency Rosewood Center Table

Emile Jacques Ruhlmann Art Deco Rug

The delicate floral design and cools colors of the rug would compliment the straight lines and dark color of the table. This charming antique French Art Deco rug   reinterprets the naturalistic floral repertoire of nineteenth century Savonnerie rugs and would make for a great accent to the table .

Harry Bertoia Gold Sculpture

This Harry Bertoria piece, Sculpture Screen Maquette, 1953, from Lost City Arts,  provided the mid-century modern fan some nice eye candy.  This sculpture would be perfect in a room with this rug: A chic vintage rug from Morocco with a gradient allover pattern incorporating warm earthy colors with soft golden-yellow undertone would match the rich gold of the brass in the sculpture.

Gustav Klimt The Sunflower (Das Werk)

Jason Jacques, who specializes in Art Nouveau and Japonist ceramic pieces, had both decorative and fine art on display. A signature edition collotype , The Sunflower (Das Werk), 1914  by Gustav Klimt caught my eye. There are remnants of impressionism in this work that is combined with an emerging style–a new and simpler early modern aesthetic- an aesthetic that matches the Klimt picture above. **all photos courtesy of The Art and Antiques Dealers League of America

Edvard Munch The Scream Shatters all previous auction records – Yesterday the world got to witness history in the making. For twelve  agonizing minutes the audience watched and even cheered as they saw five bidders compete for the pleasure of owning The Scream By Edvard Munch. The buzz could be felt as the bids kept inching their way higher and high, till the bidding paused for a bit at $99 million dollars which prompted Tobias Meyer, the auctioneer, to say “I have all the time in the world.” And the applause could be heard when the $100 million bid was cast shattering the previous record which was set two years ago by Christies New York when Picasso’s “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust” brought $106.5 million.

Edvard Munch The Scream Most Expensive Painting Ever Sold At Auction

17th Century Vase Carpet Most Expensive Rugs Ever Sold

This got me thinking about the value of art as it relates to antique rugs. On 15 April 2010 at Sothebys London, King Street location the record for the most expensive rug ever sold was set at a “measly” $9,599,535. While almost $10,000,000 is not chump change by any means, it by no means the norm. Antique rugs in general are might fetch a million plus every now and then but art is seen consistently selling for ten times that. Percentage wise, rare antique rugs have seen the median price points escalate tremendously over the past couple of years but they are still tremendously undervalued. Young collectors who are priced out of the art market are shifting their focus to rugs and textiles clamoring for the best examples while the prices are still considerably low.

Nude Green Leaves and Bust By Picasso Second Most Expansive Painting Ever Sold At Auction

16th Century Safavid Carpet Silk & Metallic Threading Second Most Expensive Rug Ever Sold

As the years go by, we expect the prices for antique oriental rugs to continue their upward momentum. The number of rare pieces available on the market has dwindled tremendously over the past two years thanks mostly to the recent opening of a number of museums combined with the spike in interest by collectors.

Kerman Vase Carpet Most Expensive Carpet Ever Sold At Auction

16th Century Safavid Silk & Metallic Prayer Carpet Second Most Expensive Rug Ever Sold

Meet The A-Team of the Mid-Century Modern Movement: Frank Lloyd Wright,

George Nakashima, Finn Juhl, Hans Wegner, Eames, Herman Miller, George Nelson,

Eero Saarinen

George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Charles Eames and Jens Risom Playboy Magazine, July 1961

The above photograph from a 1961 Playboy Magazine article features only a several of the masters of the mid-century modern design, a movement whose practitioners had a large and significant impact on design and décor from the mid 20th century to the present.

This seemingly plain style has a remarkable allure; it’s clean, simple, and functional, and for many it’s a bit nostalgic. Mid-Century Modern, or MCM, is essentially a design style that encompasses interior and furniture design, modernist architecture and industrial design. It is most often associated with the 1950′s although it spanned several decades. It was largely influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s principles of nature, simplicity, and organic form combined with industrial advances in materials and construction and elements from both the Bauhaus aesthetic and Industrial movements. Function and form had equal weight in design and there was an emphasis on fulfilling the new needs of the average American and European households.

When talking about Mid-Century Modern its important to mention that there was an American Style and a Scandinavian Style. The Scandinavian aesthetic took the clean lines of modernism and paired them with softer, more traditional properties of wood and innovations in fabrics resulting in what was a familiar and comfortable alethic. These innovative pieces introduced the use of new color combinations such as bright red and gold, blue and green, Scandinavian harvest gold and avocado green and also soft pastels of pink, light yellow, sky blue and turquoise. Black and white checkerboard floors and stark white or brightly colored walls were a popular backdrop to show off the new colors.
Finn Juhl was one of the most influential of all the Scandinavian furniture designers and is recognized for his sculptural forms. He was inspired by abstract paintings and African sculpture. We can see this influence extended to textile and rug makers such as Marta Maas Fjatterstorm. Juhl’s chieftain chair, a signature piece, would go well with so many of the mid-century vintage rugs, like this beautiful Scandinavian rug / Carpet Was Designed By Klockaregardens Hemslojd.

Mid Century Klockaregardens Hemslojd Scandinavian / Swedish Carpet

Finn Juhl Chieftain Chair

One of Denmark’s finest cabinetmakers, Hans Wegner, combined traditional craftsmanship with modern needs in order to create functional classics. This teak credenza is a beautiful example of Wegner’s expert craftsmanship.

Hans Wegner Teak Credenza

The American interpretation of mid-century modern design put emphasis on producing furniture that was contemporary in design, yet highly durable, made with the latest technology and affordable all at the same time. American cabinet designers followed the tenents of form follows function, but created a form less austere than the Scandinavian’s.

Frank Lloyd Wright is considered the father of American modernist architecture. Following the earlier Bauhaus aesthetic, he believed form and function should be balanced, however his use of curves and his love of wood reflect his known aversion toward the more rigid and impersonal design of the German Bauhaus design. Wright felt that good design could connect people to their surroundings, especially to nature. His organic designs blended into their landscapes — natural or urban — and would greatly impact generations to come.

Charles and Ray Eames helped shape post war America with their pioneering contributions to architecture, industrial design, and popular culture. Together they expressed the modernist aim of combining industry and art for social good. With a common potato chip as their inspiration they devised a unique chair design: a separate back and seat both made from gently curving plywood. This ergonomically comfortable piece was designated the “LCW”, or Lounge Chair Wood. The furniture manufacturer Herman Miller put it into production immediately and it was a hit and remains an iconic symbol of Mid-Century Modern.

Eames / Herman Miller Lounge Chair

Herman Miller LCW Chair

George Nelson was an industrial designer and served as director of Herman Miller. This furniture company commissioned works by leading designers of the period like Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, and Issmu Naguchi. Nelson first caught the eye of the founder of Herman Miller with his creation of the Storagewall, the first modular storage system.

George Nelson Ball Clock 4755

George Nelson Herman Miller Rosewood Credenza

Eero Saarinen was a Finnish-American architect and designer. In 1932 he was appointed director of Cranbrook Academy of Art, considered to be the “cradle of American Mondenism. His most recognized furniture designs, like the aptly named Tulip and Womb chairs, were carried by Knoll, applied sculptural curves that hugged the body. These chairs were introduced by Knoll Company and are still available today. Saarinen’s studio also designed important architectural works, most notably the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the former TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Womb Chair And Ottoman By Saarinen

Other designers like Vladimir Kagan, Paul McCobb, George Nakashima, and many more all deserve honorable mentions, there are so many remarkable designers of the era that there just simply isn’t room to list them all.

** For a great read and update about Vladimir Kagan, check out this article by young interior designer Sarah Baynes.

But it doesn’t stop there and it just wasn’t the furniture and industrial designers that have had a lasting affect on MCM. Textile and carpet makers from this era are just as important and were influenced by the new adventurous modern art, scientific discoveries of the era, and many of the same things that influenced furniture designers. Furniture designs and textile motifs were coordinated with the parallel lines and grid patterns of the architecture and the interior décor required careful laying of colors, textures, patterns, and soft furnishings to prevent a sterile look. The motifs and designs of these rugs reflected key elements of the movement. This is where the mid-century modern rugs come into play and Scandinavian designers were influential in the textile and rug design and produced carpets that are highly sought after today.

Wassily Kandinsky Tapestry

Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian painter and an art theorist and although he was a precursor to the mid-century modern movement, later textile and carpet weavers were influenced by his abstract creations. This extraordinary modernist / Bauhaus French flat weave above taken from Wassily Kandinsky’s watercolor “Horizontales,” is a masterpiece of Abstract Expressionism and a precursor to what will be seen during the mid-century modern period.

Marta Maas Fjatterstorm is one of the most well known and prolific of the Swedish rug creators. Her carpets designs include clean lines, bold colors, and have heavy tribal influences. Her use of bold color, abstract forms, and pattern offset the simple lines of the furniture that surrounded these pieces.

Marta Maas Fjatterstorm Rug

Eames / Herman Miller Lounge Chair

Marta Maas Fjatterstorm ( Märta Måås Fjetterström ) Tapestry

The rug on the right,  designed and woven by Marta Maas Fjatterstorm circa 1950, this vivid flat woven Scandinavian carpet / Tapestry embodies the uninhibited spirit of abstract impressionism and expressionism. Kandinsky’s influence is clearly seen here in her work.

The rug on the left with coffered squares decorated with crenellated lozenges and stripe details embellish the low-chroma field of this Swedish rug created by Marta Maas-Fjetterstrom. The rug mimics the clean and simple lines of mid-century aesthetic and both these rugs go fantastically with the Eames Lounge Chair.

Mid Century Modern Scandinavian Rug

Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair

George Nakashima Widdicomb Occasional Table

This Vintage Swedish Rug, with warm earth-tone colors features a carefully composed pattern consisting of layered geometric motifs and would have been a perfect match with the Wegner “ Papa Bear Chair” and Japanese American Designer George Nakashima’s for Widdicomb Occasional Table.
This delightful vintage rug below, from Sweden features the joyfully symbolic, beautifully colored, innocent and playful designs of the renowned Dutch artist Corneille. The set of Eero Saarien’s Tulip Chairs looks great with the bold colors in the carpet, as does Vladimr Kagan’s Serpentine sofa.

Vintage Swedish Rug by Corneille

Vladimr Kagan Serpentine Sofa

Eero Saarien Tulip Chairs

Rendered in a retro pairing of woody brown and citrine, this Scandinavian vintage Rya rug features a clustered abstract composition embellished with geometric runes. These George Nakashima English oak burl wood nesting table, and this Ico Parisi Teak Cabinet seemed to made for this bold carpet.

George Nakashima End Tables

Vintage Rya Scandinavian Rug

George Nakashima English Oak Burl Wood Nesting Table

These innovative designer’s original designs and creations were coveted and copied around the world then and now. MCM still inspires so much of our current décor aesthetics.

Interiors By The Stars – Everywhere we look today it seems that high profile individuals and designers/brands are teaming up to create home decorative lines. From the fashion world to the music world, the trend right now is to combine your name with a brand or retailer and your stuff will sell!! Let’s wait and see which one of these stars will create a great line of rugs!

Justin Timberlake Home

The Iconic fashion house Missoni collaborated with Target last year making everything from shoes to bicycles and within days the items were sold out of stores and being re-sold on e-bay for double or triple their original prices.

Donald Trump, a brand in his own right, has a home line of furniture, mattresses, lighting, bedding and decorative accessories with the Trump Home crystal collection, which premiered in summer 2011.

Cindy Crawford has collaborated with the furniture maker Raymour Flanigan to make chic sectional sets, bedroom furniture, and dining room collections. Most pieces are classic and can work in any room, and this line is particularly suited for anyone who is shopping on a budget.

Living Room By Cindy Crawford

Beyonce and her mother, Tina Knowles, are expanding their style empire by launching the “House of Dereon home collection”. The line features beddings influenced by European and bohemian chic styles and will cater to both the sophisticated consumer and the younger generation as well.

Bedroom By Beyonce

Both the talk show host Nate Berkus and Jonathan Adler have collaborated with HSN to make their own lines of affordable chic and decorative items that are exclusive to the Home Shopping Network.

Wave Pillow By Jonathan Adler

Nate Berkus Velvet Studio Sofa

Justin Timberlake has teamed up with decorator, Estee Stanely, for a “home goods and art” website, called Home Mint. It will be a curated selection of home goods and accessories, one of a kind finds, and art and photography from both established and up-and-coming artists. According to Timberlake, “HomeMint combines my love of interior design with my passion for technology and innovation to create a brand that not only offers quality products, but also a personalized shopping experience.”

Justin Timberlake isn’t the only celebrity/musician turning to the home décor stage, Lenny Kravitz, who launched Kravitz Design in 2003, recently partnered with Kartell in order to update their iconic Mademoiselle chair. There are six different versions of the chair, which incorporate python, fur, leather and woven materials.

Chairs By Lenny Kravitz

Eco Friendly / Environmentally Friendly Rugs - It’s really no secret anymore that conserving and protecting the environment is a top notch priority in the world today. We see it everywhere, whether it be in the Hybrid vehicles driving past us, or solar panels on rooftops; people are taking a strong interest in reducing the level of pollution delivered to the environment by modifying many different aspects in their lives. However, it doesn’t take a new car or expensive alterations to the infrastructure of a home to live an environmentally conscientious lifestyle. There are many little things one can do that can make a big difference to the world around us. Keeping the environment in mind when shopping around for basic household items is definitely a good place to start.

"Green" Moroccan Rug

It’s always important to keep in mind what materials may be harmful to the environment when shopping for your home. A good rule of thumb is to always remember to try and buy products that can be conserved and reused several times, rather than purchasing disposable items that you will end up throwing out.

Moroccan Rug Interior

There are several ways to beautifully decorate the interior of a home and still remain faithful to the world around you. Items that should top the list have to be vintage Moroccan Carpets. These beautiful folk art rugs were handmade by combining materials from old clothing and recycled fabrics together. The end result is a gorgeous rug that is sure to attract admiration from all who encounter it. It’s worth noting that since theserugs are made solely of materials which have already existed for severalyears, absolutely no pollution was released unto the planet when they arebeing made, thus making them the most eco-friendly / environmentally friendly and “Green” rugs available.

Moroccan Carpet

Moroccan carpets, are extremely popular in today’s décor. They are sought after by collectors, consumers and interior decorators who scour the world in search of these magnificent works of art. But not only are they breathtaking to look at and a joy to have in one’s home, they are also probably the most environmentally friendly rugs as well. Combining beauty, affordability and a positive environmental effect, Moroccan Carpets are an easy choice for the savvy and ecofriendly consumer.

Moroccan Carpet interior

If we all remember to keep these few tips in mind when shopping for your home it will make a world of a difference!

NYC20 Decorative Arts Fair - The inaugural NYC20 fair, a 20th Century art and design fair in the tent at Lincoln Center, kicked last Thursday night. 36 dealers from all over the United States and Europe are showcased decorative and fine arts from all 20^th century design movements at the fair over the weekend. The show was sponsored by 1stdibs and in association with Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture, Art and Auction, and Modern magazines. Objects on display and for sale ranged from furniture and lighting to jewelry, ceramic, photography, prints, and vintage clothing. All dealers are exclusively 1stdibs.com dealers, which meant the pieces were exceptional. For many dealers this was the very first show in New York City.

Rosemary Kreiger, of Dolphin promotions, who produced the show, said that the show would change how people think about design fairs in general:

“I think it changes the fair-going experience since, in the case of NYC20, you are able to become familiar with the dealers and preview some of their merchandise before arriving at the show and meeting them in person and seeing their amazing presentations…It is important for many collectors to be able to see and touch-to interact personally and directly with an object before they are inspired to purchase it.”

The show was geared for young collectors and featured pieces that were worthy of being on the Mad Men set! I thoroughly enjoyed walking the tent and so many things caught my eye, especially the bright yellow of the Parzinger Originals lacquered cabinet, studded with gold, at the Palumbo Anderssen booth. Its bright sheen stood out in contrast with the avocado-green, tower-like Tommi Parzinger clock in the nearby corner (ca. 1950), which the American-German designer (1930-1991) constructed around a found clock face.

White was the overriding color at Los Angeles-based gallery Downtown’s centrally located booth, which conjured the atmosphere of a ’60s beach party in Acapulco. All the pieces were taken from Mexico, including the Arturo Pani fiberglass lounge chairs (ca. 1965) presented against the backdrop of a wall-sized close-up photo of Maria Felix in a straw hat. Felix, an icon of mid-century luxury, was Mexico’s own Marilyn Monroe.

Some highlights:

Robert Wilson of Downtown offers a visual feast of Mexico’s midcentury designers, including Arturo Pani, whose fiberglass chairs date from 1965. The sheaf wheat cocktail table dates from the 1950’s and it was Coco Chanel who made this type of table so popular because she had one in her own apartment in Paris.

Arturo Pani Chair

Vintage Coco Chanel Sheaf Wheat Cocktail Table

Patrick Dragonette’s booth represented the West Coast.  The dealer from Los Angeles featured remnants of old Hollywood and designs that clearly evoked the feeling of cool California. This tree lamp from the estate of Frances Elkins was probably my favorite piece from his booth.

Frances Elkins Vintage Tree Lamp

Featured front and center upon entering the tent, the interior scene below is from Trinity House, which has galleries here in NYC and in the U.K. This panting is by Patrick Joseph Caulfield entitled “Interior with Fondue Pan” and goes for a cool million.  Even though Mr. Caulfield did not claim to be part of the pop art movement, one can’t help but think of it when looking at the painting.  The graphic and linear lines of the painting and the lighter colors palette would complement the “modernesque” furniture that is so popular currently.

Patrick Joseph Caulfield "Interior with Fondue Pan"

This exceptional silver Tea Service, presented by The Silver Fund of London, caught my eye. I was told that this piece was special because it was a complete set of a Cartier, Paris tea service which only a few of them were produced. For $125,000 you could be enjoying your tea from the silver service below!!

Cartier Paris Tea Service Set