News & Information on Antique Oriental Rugs and Persian Carpets

Early 17th & 18th century rugs have received yet another affirmation to their rapidly increasing demand and value. Among the many items up for auction at Christie’s (November 24th auction) were numerous carpets from the 17th and the 18th century. It has long been argued by people in the antique rug trade that these pieces are grossly undervalued, but now there is strong evidence that these carpets will continue to sell for increasingly larger amounts of money for years to come. As time goes by – this caliber of carpets will become even more scarce, fueling the drive of private customers and collectors alike to acquire these magnificent works of art. During the Christie’s auction, we saw lots selling for double, triple and even exceeding their highest estimates, (which were strong to begin with, for example: Lot 130 & 129). This trend seems to be indicative of the future for these carpets, but only time will tell.

by Jason Nazmiyal

Nazmiyal is pleased to announce that it has merged with Damoka New York Carpets. Albert Karmeli and I have both decided that such a venture would be an ideal complement to our long-term business interests. Over the last twenty five years Nazmiyal has been actively buying and selling antique carpets according to the trends set by the leading proponents of interior design and décor and the rug collecting world. At this point in time, however, we feel that a merger with Damoka would be a match made in heaven. Over the past sixty years Karmeli has established an unparalleled reputation for integrity and superior taste within in the antique rug industry. The outstanding collection that Karmeli has amassed is much more traditional and classical than ours, comprising an incredible array of ‘honest to goodness’ fine Persian rugs and carpets, and in this sense it complements our more eclectic and decorative holdings beautifully. We at Nazmiyal are both pleased an honored to have this opportunity to work with the greatest man in our industry and to have him as an associate. As a consequence of this merger, we will be able to accommodate the most discriminating taste in fine decorative carpets and collectible rugs. Our combined inventories will represent the most extensive and comprehensive collection of antique rugs and carpets to have ever been assembled under one roof. Our twenty five years in the business and Damoka’s sixty will comprise a whole much greater than the sum of its parts, a collection that ranges from early collector pieces to larger decorative carpets of virtually every type and origin.

We are pleased to announce that Jason NAZMIYAL was asked to participate in a panel discussion at the New York Historical Society. This stimulating panel discussion about antique rugs and carpets, From Tibet to Timbuktu and the Art of Collecting Fine Rugs and Textiles was moderated by the pillar of the New York rug scene, Mary Jo Otsea, who has long headed the rug and carpet department at Sotheby’s New York. Jason represented the community of rug-dealers, while rug collectors and the professionals who advise them were represented by Judith Glass and long time collector Kurt Munkacsi respectively. The discussion was lively and informative, and touched upon a wide range of issues relevant to building an important collection. Why one collects, what one collects, how one recognizes what makes a piece desirable or important are all pressing issues for collectors. But what emerged most from the discussion was the very special and symbiotic relationship that exists among those who collect and dealers and advisors who facilitate their collecting passions. Collectors have more in common with dealers than they think, when it comes time to sell or de-acquisition a piece, and dealers often buy like collectors, not simply for profit but with their hearts, Continue Reading »

This week Nazmiyal opened its elegant new Manhattan gallery. Situated at 31 East 32nd Street on the second floor, the new location has over five thousand square feet of continuous, looming space that makes it possible to display beautiful room-size and oversize rugs and carpets in the setting that they deserve. The space is bathed in natural light as well as abundant track lighting, with elegant hardwood floors that stretch for over eighty five feet. Read more …

Written by Betsy Murphy
Tuesday, 15 May 2007

The annual meeting of the International Conference on Oriental Carpets is always an exciting event, but when it is held in Istanbul, one of the most exotic and romantic cities in Europe, and a center of carpet production and commerce for the past five hundred years or more, ICOC is simply “carpet heaven.” I stayed in the lovely Sultanahment district, the oldest part of the Ottoman city, where there were a number of related exhibitions. The TIEM (Turk ve Islam Eserleri Muzesi) mounted a spectacular show of early carpets from the Seljuk period, as well as various other oversize court carpets, Ushaks, etc. It was simply divine. The TIEM also put up an amazing selection of Ikats from the collection of Mehmet Cetinkaya. The Vakiflar Museum had two exhibitions of their incredible collection of early rugs as well, one on pile carpets, and one just for kilims. In conjunction with all this the Yildiz Palace held a memorial exhibition of kilims from the personal collection of the renowned expert Josephine Powell, who passed away last March.

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