Fred Moheban's Blog

Mr. Morgan and his Rug, circa 2010

fmoheban — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 03:54:20 +0000

When the refurbished rooms of the Morgan Library & Museum opened last week, the article in The New York Times featured a photo of Mr. Morgan’s library in the original house, where books were held behind glass doors in mahogany shelves and a colossal tapestry covered the only open wall. All of it was anchored by an Oriental rug with a red border and dark blue ground strewn with light-colored flowers and abstract shapes, like stars in a midnight sky.

That rug, an antique Sarouk, is about 18 by 30 feet. Today’s J. P. Morgans can choose from a variety of sizes and regions. For example,

Here is an Agra, 9.1 by 13.6, made in a classical room size, and not on a movable loom. Pale tones in the border and throughout the field give an impression of lightness, which is true of many Indian rugs. It was made at the end of the Victorian era.

This this antique Karabagh from the Caucasus is a 6.2 by 20.4 runner Mr. Morgan would have loved, unbelievably decorative, knotted at the end of the 1800’s. Although Caucasian rugs are almost always written as small, there are some Karabaghs, like this one, that are good-sized.

Bibikibad may not be a familiar name, but it is a village in the Hamadan region in Central Persia. Woven in the late 19th century, it has characteristic pale blues and abrash in the densely patterned field and wonderful intricate borders. It is 11.6 by 16.2.

The antique Sultanabad has one of the great traditional wide red borders with a large flower design. The field is a tighter design of interlocking flowers. It is 8.9 by 10.

Mr. Morgan would love the classic Tabriz - my sense of him is that he always went for the best. It is tightly knotted and detailed and the field is the Herat pattern, which is that design that looks like a fish scale. It is 8.9 by 12.3.

And by the way, did you see how much the Modigliani went for at Christie’s yesterday? Yes, $68.9 million. Truly a bellwether day for the art markets.

Show Stoppers

admin — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:53:11 +0000

October 25, 2010

This is that wonderful crisp time of year when the International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show is at the Park Avenue Armory through Wednesday and there are art gallery openings galore (every Thursday night in Chelsea). I’ll just get right to the point - there are red dots all over the place! Does this mean the markets are finally coming back? It is so exciting to walk into a gallery space and see those little symbols twinkling away at you.

The show at the armory is a particularly rich cornucopia this year - wonderful serious pictures, furniture and jewelry but also lots of the unexpected, like a Picasso watercolor of flying cows, inscribed to a lucky little boy and girl… great Japanese gilded pieces at Erik Thomsen Asian Art, a painted cabinet at Kentshire that not only would hold but is a treasure in itself with influences of Venice, Chinoiserie, Mongolia and India in the decoration, heart-stopping painted chairs and chests from Il Quadrifoglio in Milan and of course that other famous entry, too numerous to mention. Of course all the heavy hitters, like Steinitz, use Oriental rugs as part of the display.

Plus, this year the Kips Bay Decorator Show House is on until November 11 and for anyone interested in decor, you can’t miss it. I think someone told them all to use neutrals which makes for a nice unity throughout the house. Some fabulous rooms, like Ellie Cullman’s from Cullman and Kravis, and Vicente Wolf from his own-named company use beautiful large Oriental rugs to complement the depth of their design schemes.

Rami Moheban

How Antique Rugs can Introduce Individuality to the Monotony of Pure Modernity

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:53:50 +0000

The days when one would consider an antique rug only for Victorian mansions or traditional living rooms are long passй. And this is a good thing, since antique Oriental and European carpets have too much to offer to any space to be reserved for traditional settings. It is now widely recognized that antique rugs not only complement but enhance any space, no matter how modern. Indeed, an antique rug is a way of introducing individuality to the monotony of pure modernity. This is especially noteworthy when considering the current trend, where the modern look has become so ubiquitous that many designers consider it quite a challenge to achieve a distinctive touch. As some have suggested: the pure modern look has become bland. It comes therefore as no surprise that many architects, private individuals and collectors, designers and decorators now realize that to remain cutting-edge actually means to escape the restrictions of the pure modern look and to reintroduce the timeless beauty of antique art. Given the vast variety in design, colors and patterns, antique rugs are particularly suited for this purpose. After all, many antique rugs feature magnificent designs with geometric structures that blend in with their modern surroundings so as to elevate an otherwise monotone space into a spectacular composition. If you ever saw an antique oriental carpet in a modern space, you probably wondered whether the carpet was actually designed with a modern space in mind. It is as if the rug was woven with the intention to transcend time. Simply imagine your floor covered with an antique Agra rug, an antique Persian rug from Tabriz, or a Persian Kerman carpet, just to name a few, and you’ll realize how greatly an antique rug would enhance the look of your space by pulling together the surrounding furniture. What makes a classic antique rug an especially compelling choice is a color pallet that will match almost any interior. We recently saw yet another modern hotel lobby that featured two antique rugs with gorgeous pastel and earth tones in order to add necessary warmth to the space without drawing unwanted attention to the rugs. Next time you see an antique rug, imagine above it a painting by Rothko, Modigliani or de Kooning, and this arrangement is ready to be featured in a design magazine.

Why Artistic Considerations are Integral Aspects of High-Quality Antique Oriental Rugs

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:06:43 +0000

A common thinking is that you buy an antique oriental rug only when you need a decorating touch. Of course, an antique carpet beautifies a room indeed: it adds warmth, provides texture, and pulls together the various other furnishings. In fact, the beauty of an antique oriental carpet often becomes the centerpiece of the room and elevates the space beyond the ordinary. It is therefore important to recognize that an antique rug is more than just a decorating piece. After all, the classic designs and timeless patterns of antique rugs are only one aspect that provide them with an aura of uniqueness; what is of equal if not greater importance is the rich history surrounding each individual antique rug - that is, its provenance, its artist, the design, and the historic backdrop that influenced the making of the rug. For this reason we have long considered it as part of our mission to show what an antique rug really is at its core: an extraordinary piece of fine art, much as a beautiful painting or a gorgeous piece of furniture. As Kelly Crow of the Wall Street Journal pointedly noted in her June 18, 2010 article The Rug Market Takes Flight, “These days, top antique rugs are sold more like works of art than pieces of decor.” We always encourage our customers to become intimately familiar with all facets of any antique rug before making a choice, so as to view the antique rug not only in context of aesthetic considerations but also in light of the growing market and ever-rising demand for antique rugs. Accordingly, each piece in our selection of antique rugs reflects the notion that decor and art are both integral aspects of a high-quality antique rug.

Hello World!

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:50:05 +0000

With a collection of decorative antique European and Oriental carpets representing the most important carpet, rug and tapestry weaving areas around the globe, the Fred Moheban Rug Gallery is a resource for the most discerning private collectors, interior designers and architects.

As a member of the National Antique & Art Dealers Association, the Fred Moheban Rug Gallery has acquired the specialized knowledge of history and unique design inherent in antique carpets and tapestries, making us the recognized leader in the antique European and Oriental carpet trade.

With the launch of our Antique Rug blog, we hope to extend our enthusiasm and experience to the online community and offer a glimpse into the specialized market. As with any art form, selecting and collecting antique carpets is a skill. Our Blog will muse about current industry news, design styles and trends in the rug industry.