Antique oriental rugs and interior design trends

Antique oriental rugs and interior design trends

 

Decorating Your Home with Antique Oriental Rugs
When you think about upscale interior design, antiques and fine art are naturally the first items that come to mind. Antiques have an undeniable ability to add personality and character to the décor of any home. Because of their uniqueness many people opt to incorporate antiques into their living spaces. Whether it is something handed down through generations or found in an antique shop many homeowners make “antiquing” a hobby in order to add personal flair to their homes.

Tabriz Rugs

An antique is an item that is at least 80 – 100 years old and for the most part they are both decorative as well as collectible. An antique item is desired and collected because of its age, beauty, rarity, and use. One type of antique that many people collect for their homes are antique rugs. Funnily enough, many of the antique carpets are comparable and at times even cheaper in price than brand new rugs. Once you establish your budget, size requirements and overall look and feel your quest for the right piece begins!
Antique rugs may be found in many different looks and colors. The more “traditional” style carpets such as Tabriz, Kashan and Khorasan will usually have intricate patterns and can be found in a wide array of colors from the jewel tones to the light and airy. These types of pieces give a regal and elegant look to most rooms. However, modern design tends to be simpler in taste and style. Many of the designs in recent years favor a more minimalistic approach to the interior design. Incorporating antique carpets with subtle colors and a more abstract look (like arts and crafts or art deco) will go a long way and will add a warmth and texture to the space.

Another type of antique carpet that is often used in more modern settings are Moroccan rugs. Moroccan rugs are a fabulous way to invite warmth and create a bright and appealing atmosphere in your home. The simple tribal geometric patterns of these rugs (some of which are taken from the Tattoo designs of the Berber tribes) have been used for some-time to allow a sophisticated look to go with modern furniture. Many historic homes boast these vintage Moroccan rugs such as one of America’s most famous architects of the modern era: Frank Lloyd Wright.

Although, it is more traditional to display your antique carpet on the floor, it can also be displayed on the wall as a work of art (which the antique carpets and vintage rugs actually are). In the right lighting you will be able to see the artistry behind these artisanal antique rugs.
A rug tends to be the most expensive item in a room when decorating so it is imperative to get a piece that you will love for a long time. It is also important to purchase the rug from a dealer that you trust. A good dealer will provide you with information, images, and history of the rug as well as give you the option to trade in the rug for a different piece in the future. Be wary of dealers who tell you that the rug will be worth much more in “X” years because there is no way to estimate what any piece will fetch in the future as demands will always change to fit the ever-changing interior design trends. It is best to establish a good relationship with your dealer since down the line you might want to acquire a better piece or might simply want a different look.
So, why buy an antique rug? They clearly allow a very versatile and stylish look for your home decor. With their patina (that can only come with age), texture and their variety of colors and designs, they can liven up any modern, traditional or casual room and make your interior look picturesque and magnificent.
Over the years the trends, patters, and design of interiors have been reinventing themselves every few years but the demand and appreciation for antique oriental rugs has remained. Great antique carpets, just like great paintings will never go out of style and the demand has only increased over the years.

Kashan A Green Oasis

Kashan A Green Oasis

Kashan, Iran Tehran, June 19, 2009: Kashan is the first of the large oases along Qom-Kerman Road that passes near the edge of a desert. Its attractiveness is mainly due to the contrast between the greenery of the oasis and the parched desert. The city flourished during the Sassanid dynasty, but was demolished during the Arab invasion with the exception of a few ancient buildings. It prospered again during the Seljuk rule and is known for its ceramics since then. Though it was destroyed again during the invasion of Mongols, it became an important town in the Safavid rule and Shah Abbas II made the city its capital. Some Safavid rulers, however, preferred to live in Kashan rather than in the capital. A local historian wrote that Kashan’s name is derived from “Key Ashian“ which means place of rulers, Iranchamber.com reported. Location Bound by Isfahan, Qom and Markazi provinces, Kashan is located near Ardestan and Natanz. Kashan has been overshadowed by Isfahan, but is considered one of the ancient cities of Iran. Archeological discoveries on the Siyalk Hillocks, which lie 4 km west of Kashan, have revealed that it was one of the primary centers of civilization in prehistoric times.

A Kashan lustre-decorated star-form pottery tile 13th c.

Kashan has long been known as a flourishing center of arts and a cradle of Iranian artists. The cultivated, talented and dynamic people of this historical city have been famous as manufacturers of excellent glazed vessels and tiles, weavers of fine brocades, velvets and silk fabrics and creators of superb carpets and rugs. As producers of various handicrafts, Kashan has consistently ranked as outstanding exponents of numerous other arts and crafts. It also boasts of various historical buildings and sites, which attract both domestic and foreign tourists. Agha Bozorg Mosque This mosque as well as the theological school, Madraseh Agha Bozorg, is located in central Kashan. The mosque consists of two large corridors, one in front of the prayer niche and another by the entrance. It also has a courtyard with a garden and a fountain in the middle. The courtyard is surrounded by arcades. The corridor in front of the prayer niche has two minarets and a brick dome. The colors of arcades and corridor are mainly blue, red and yellow against a brick ground. Boroujerdi Residence This used to be a private home but now is open to public as a museum. The house was built in early 19th century and consisted of a vast courtyard, beautiful wall paintings and very unusual wind towers that help cool the house. Bagh-e Fin Bagh-e Fin is located a few kilometers southwest of Kashan, in the small village of Fin. It is one of the most famous gardens of Iran. This beautiful garden, with a large pool and orchards, was designed for Shah Abbas I as a classical Persian vision of paradise. The original Safavid buildings were rebuilt by Qajar dynasty, although the layout of trees and marble basins is close to the original. It is a pleasant spot to relax in. The garden is also notorious for being the site of the murder of Mirza Taqi Khan known as Amir Kabir, the minister of Nassereddin Shah of Qajar in 1852. Friday Mosque Friday Mosque or Masjed-e Jomeh, with its 11th-century prayer niche, was built during the Seljuk era and has been restored several times. One such renovation dates back to Timurid Dynasty and has a minaret with ancient inscriptions. Tabatabaie Residence The house was built in the 19th century and consists of a charming courtyard and beautiful windows with color glass panes. This used to be a private home but now is open to public as a museum. Tappe-ye Sialk The most significant archeological site in central Iran is the Sialk Mound. It was excavated by Gershman in the 1930s, which revealed that the site is more than 7,000 years old. Sialk was occupied from 4th millennium BC until 8th century BC. Probably, one of the most interesting findings are inscribed clay tablets dating back to the late 3rd and early 2nd millennium BC. There are also records showing immigrants and conquerors passing through this region and settling near Bagh-e Fin. The artifacts uncovered are displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris and the archeological museum in Tehran. Officials are making efforts to publicize Kashan as an attractive tourism spot and the increasing number of visitors shows that they have been successful.
An Oasis of Calm - the Carshi Mosque | Arts of Islam

Obama admits US involvement in Iran coup in 1953

"Obama admits US involvement in Iran coup in 1953
Jun 4 01:30 PM US/Eastern

US President Barack Obama made a major gesture of conciliation to Iran on Thursday when he admitted US involvement in the 1953 coup which overthrew the government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.

"In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government," Obama said during his keynote speech to the Muslim world in Cairo.

It is the first time a serving US president has publicly admitted American involvement in the coup.

The CIA, with British backing, masterminded the coup after Mossadegh nationalised the oil industry, run until then in by the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.

For many Iranians, the coup demonstrated duplicity by the United States, which presented itself as a defender of freedom but did not hesitate to use underhand methods to get rid of a democratically elected government to suit its own economic and strategic interests."
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.32cde4b38d55ae6af28266bb31a7221e.851&show_article=1

Mousavi will not resort to every ploy to win the election.

Ex-MP urges Judiciary to stop mudslinging

Former MP Emad Afrough has urged the Judiciary to prevent any kind of mudslinging by presidential candidates or their supporters if any presidential aspirant decides to name his cabinet.

“Some of the candidates are afraid that upon introducing their cabinet, some individuals will resort to mudslinging against them and unfortunately this is not farfetched. The Judiciary power should take action whenever widespread mudslinging” happens, he told the Mehr News Agency on Saturday.

Ayatollah Taheri supports Mousavi candidacy

Ayatollah Hassan Taheri stated on Saturday that he supports presidential hopeful Mir-Hossein Mousavi in the upcoming election. “We will be happy, pleased, and content if you win the tenth presidential election,” he said in a meeting with Mousavi in Isfahan.

Mousavi visited Ayatollah Taheri’s home during his visit to Isfahan Province. Mousavi emphasized that Ayatollah Taheri has played an important role in the Islamic Revolution.

Mousavi not to resort to any ploy to gain power

The Servants of Construction Party spokesman, Hossein Mar’ashi, stated on Saturday that Mousavi will not resort to every ploy to win the election.

“One of the most important reasons for supporting Mousavi is that Mousavi believes in the content of the Islamic Republic of Iran and will not resort to every effort to stay in power,” he told the MNA.

Mar’ashi added, “Preserving the Islamic Republic does not mean preserving its form, rather it means preserving the content of the Islamic republic… The content of the Islamic Republic means people should have freedom and the right to choose.”

Relations with Europe, U.S will be the hottest issue

The Islamic Coalition Party has issued a statement stating that relations with Europe and the U.S. will be the hottest issue for the next administration.

“Undoubtedly, our most important issue in the next administration is defining the new relations with Europe and the United States based upon wisdom and the system’s expedience and with an emphasis on resistance, perseverance, and maintaining the country’s independence,” part of the statement read.

The statement cited some goals that the next administration should realize and insisted that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is able to materialize those objectives if he wins the election. The ICP has previously announced its support for Ahmadinejad.

Mousavi ally opposes naming cabinet before election

Expediency Council member Majid Ansari stated on Saturday that naming cabinet before the election is not “expedient”.

“I do not agree with introducing the cabinet by the candidates before the election because (one) cannot introduce an inclusive cabinet in such a short time,” he told the MNA. Ansari supports Mousavi in the election.

Mousavi will try to resolve workers’ problems

Former MP Soheila Jelodarzadeh has said that Mousavi will try to relieve the problems of the working class. “Mousavi’s most important plan in supporting workers is to restore suitable conditions for working and production (sector) in the country,” she told the MNA in Semnan Province on Saturday. Jelodarzadeh, a defender of the labor class, leads the coalition of Mousavi’s supporters.

Mousavi looks for “peace of mind” in the society

Mousavi has stated that he will make efforts to bring about a “peace of mind” in the society.

“One of my slogans is freedom from fear … Fear does not have only a physical meaning, rather, peace of mind should be created in the society. This will not happen unless an administration’s most efforts go into resolving economic problems,” he said on national TV on Friday night.

Mount Damavand Iran

Snow-covered Mount of Damavand, the highest peak in the Middle East (Photo by Oshin D. Zakarian)

Tanavoli’s “The Wall and the Script”, brings $218,500 Dubai

Christie’s Dubai Sale Raises $4.8 Million on Trimmed Estimates

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By Ayesha Daya

April 30 (Bloomberg) -- Christie’s International sold $4.8 million of art last night in Dubai, within estimates, after the auction house trimmed prices as the economy slowed and its previous sale missed targets.

The most expensive lot was Parviz Tanavoli’s “The Wall and the Script”, a bronze sculpture enveloped in Farsi script that sold for $218,500, compared with a $120,000-$180,000 estimate. A year ago, Tanavoli’s sculpture “The Wall (Oh Persepolis)” sold for 10 times as much, fetching a record $2.84 million in Dubai. Christies had estimated the art sale would tally $4.1 million to $5.9 million.

“Buyers are still active and works represent good value with re-adjusted estimates which still represent multiples of values of 2 to 3 years ago,” said Michael Jeha, managing director of Christie’s Middle East, in an e-mailed response to questions before the sale. “We have pitched our estimates conservatively and are sensitive to the environment in which we and our clients are operating.”

The proportion of lots selling at some international auctions has declined as buyers hesitate in the worst recession since the Great Depression, with Christie’s looking for cash from emerging markets in the Middle East, Asia and Russia to boost sales.

The auction was for art from the Middle East and North Africa. Christie’s said it was the first time works from Saudi Arabia had been offered in an international auction.

Christie’s previous Dubai auction of paintings in October raised $8.6 million, half its estimate of $15 million to $18 million.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ayesha Daya in Dubai adaya1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 30, 2009 02:49 EDT

Parviz Tanavoli on the Iranian Art Market

04/21/09
Sculpture for oil: Iranian artwork in Christie's Auction
By Saghar Rafiee, Iran (Source: Mianeh) While oil prices are rapidly dropping in global markets, prices in arts auctions have a different story. Iranian paintings, calligraphies and statues are becoming increasingly expensive as they were on sale in international auctions. file photo, 2007 Previously, it was only the cinema which could bring fame to Iranian artists and filmmaker. Now, the floor is also given to Iranian artwork in auctions such as Christie's which is bound to change the economics of arts in Iran. In the Iranian arts market, no one is any longer surprised by the high prices of these works. Very few people would be astonished about the increasing rise of prices in artwork. In the first Christie's auction which was held in Dubai in May 2005, a painting by Farhad Moshiri and a photo by Shirin Neshat each hit the record of sales among Iranian artwork at a price of $40,000. In the second auction which was held in February 2006, there were works by Mohammad Ehsai, calligrapher, Parviz Tanavoli, sculptor, and Farhad Moshiri, painter and graphic designer, hit the record of Iranian artwork sale in the world at $102000. In the third Christie's auction on 31st October 2008, Farhad Moshiri earned the highest amount after Ahmad Mustafa, the Egyptian artist. Moshiri's painting received a bid 7 times more than it was initially estimated and was finally sold at $600,000. In the fourth auction, Iranian works hit the incredible record of $2.5 million and Iran had the highest sale in the fourth Christie's. In this auction, six artworks from Iran stood among the 7 most expensive items on sale. 'Persepolis' sculpted by Parviz Tanavoli, the Iranian sculptor, hit an unprecedented record of $2,500,000 as the most expensive item of this period of Christie's which is also a top first in Christie's history in the Middle East. Sales for Iranian and Indian artworks of this auction were generally made on the phone from New York, London, Milan, Paris, Geneva, etc but 95% of sales for Arab artwork were done in person. According to figures released by Christie's Auction, 77% of buyers from this auction have been from the Middle East and Iran, 17% from Europe and UK and 6% from the US. In the fifth auction of Christie's on 28th October 2008, in the modern and contemporary category, Mohammad Ehsai's calligraphy painting was sold at $482,500 in a highest sale ever in a Christie's auction in Dubai. Competition over owning works by renowned artists is a dream of many rich people. Nonetheless, the sale of artworks in Iran has a long history. According to Shahriar Adl, an expert on visual arts, about 500 years ago, before the end of the Timurid era and the beginning of the Safavid period, paintings by Behzad had a large number of buyers. Mughal empires who were contemporaries of Shah Abbas in India were patrons of art and spent lavishly on buying and collecting artworks. Shahriar Adl says, "Visual arts works from India and China are still among the top sales of auctions. One cannot even say with certainty what kind of works by Iranian artists are sold best and well received by buyers. Although most of the works on sale in these auctions belong to contemporary artists, attention to more traditional works such as calligraphic paintings of Sedaghat Jabbari and Mohammad Ehsai, which are among the most expensive items in these auctions, reveal that buyers are more interested in works rooted in the ancient arts of Iran." According to Parviz Tanavoli, it is now time for investors to turn their attention to investments in arts rather than the typical investments in properties. Parviz Kalantari is an artist whose clay works have been sold for the first time in Christie's auction. About the impact of these sales on the market of artwork in Iran, he says, "The good thing about inside Iran is that usually the galleries play the role of proxy between the painter and the audience; thus the painter only spends time on the painting. Another important aspect of it is that the artworks of artists inside the country are presented to the world of art globally. This aspect is more important to me. Of course, the economics of art is a very serious matter." Parviz Tanavoli, the Iranian sculptor whose work titled 'Persepolis' was sold at the highest price in the fourth auction of Christie's in the Middle East, believes that it is still too early for Iran to achieve its rightful place in the global centres of art in the world. He says, "The success of Iranian artists in reputable auctions such as the Christie's will be an important impetus." The buyer of this artwork is the private Iranian Bank, Pasargad, that bought Mr. Tanavoli's work at $2,000,841. Tanavoli says after his work was presented at Christie's, there was barrage of requests from buyers for his work. He expressed hope that this may be good model for other Iranian banks to invest part of their assets on art instead of buying properties, following the example of European and American banks. Shadi Ghadirian is an Iranian photographer who pays particular attention to 'Iranian woman' in her works. One of her pictures is the image of a women clad in traditional chador, which has been sold at Christie's. Shadi Ghadirian says, "Right now, in Iran, there are two types of prices for art work: an Iranian price and a foreign price." This means that artists whose work is sold at Christie's auction have some of their works evaluated and sold at a price much lower than the one sold abroad and therefore, naturally, some buyers are after the Iranian price of these works. Shadi Ghadirian speaks about the reason for this waver of interest on Iranian artworks in auctions indicating the point that in the past couple of years, art centres and galleries have multiplied in Dubai, "As these galleries grow in number, so does the art work which goes in display and hence the good market for them. As regards, the rise of art works prices in Iran, I must say I am happy about it. This should have happened." On the share of the artist from the sold item in auctions, Parviz Tanavoli says, "Usually, a small amount of the price belongs to the artist and creator, even though the item might have been sold by the artist before, but I do not thing this is the case in Iran." In auctions such as Christie's, Phillips and Sotheby's, they rarely deal with an artist personally. All these auctions work more comfortably with galleries. Therefore, a big percentage of the share would also go to the gallery owners." Ghadirian speaks about rumours of deals among gallery owner sellers and sometimes among artists themselves in these auctions. She says, "These kinds of deals have always existed all over the world and in history. This has nothing to do with only Iranian artists and their participation in such auctions in Dubai. This is not only about us, As far as it concerns us, this is a good thing. Either way, it means the rise of prices for Iranian artworks. In the past few periods, they did not ask for any work from me directly. They had taken my work from a collector who had bought the work from me many years ago. Therefore, I had no share in it. However, eventually, as a result of what happened, there was a change in the prices of my other works and this was, anyway, good for me." Now, as the Iranian art is flourishing in international auctions, gradually markets open up for these works in Iran too. The 'Seven Outlooks', which is a collective gallery by seven well-known Iranian art galleries, launched a real auction in Iran. Following this event, other art institutions such as Saba Cultral and Art Institute and the Ministry of Culture followed suit. Nonetheless, reputation of international auctions is one important factor which may give a new direction to an artist's work. There are also artists who take advantage of this opportunity for political attention to Iran as the name of Iran is mentioned in the media and they can present a different image of Iran to the world. Here, it is not the oil barrels which have a price fluctuation. After the memorable period of Iranian carpets, it is now time for Iranian paintings and sculptures to create new trade opportunities for Iran. Saghar Rafiee is a journalist in Iran About Mianeh: Mianeh is a new independent web-based initiative run as a project by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (iwpr.net) the award-winning non-profit media development organisation that works across the globe to platform local voices and promote international learning and engagement. Mianeh aims to be an open space for ideas, news and debate where writers in Iran can reach out to each other as well as to those outside the country who are interested in learning more about the vibrant and dynamic society that is Iran today. ... Payvand News - 04/21/09 ... --