Fall 2005 Sale
Collector's Items (or Susan's "Best of Show")
These are very special pieces, each in its own way, and are put in this separate section for that reason.
Piece 5.14924 is a medium-sized older rug from Fadma Aharouch in N'kob, the kind that bazaar merchants in Marrakesh sell for very high prices, often thousands of dollars. That is partly because rugs from this area are well-known, and also because older ones are hard to find these days. Age is difficult to judge, but this piece may be 20-40 years old...or more. Although older, the crisp design and bright colors give it a modern feel. The main colors are black, white, a soft sage green, orange and red. On my screen the red looks too orange, or even like orange on the close-up; it's actually a rich red with a little blue in it. While quite regular, notice here and in the close-up that the inner diamond on the right is not symmetrical, while all the others are. Those are the kinds of things I like to look for in Moroccan rugs. The photos also make the rug look wrinkled, which it is - from being packed for a long time, but it will lie nice and flat. The size is about 3'5" x 5'10" (104 x 178 cm) and the price is $695.
Piece 2.12227 is something entirely different, a flatweave from the Middle Atlas Mountains, woven by Fatima Jaaou and her mother in preparation for her wedding - she now has a daughter at the university. Such rugs are made by many women before they marry. They have an overall design that looks black and white from a distance, but in the close-up here you can see color accents in red, blue and green, especially if you click on the photo. You can also see that it is heavily decorated with sequins. If you click here, you can see the overall design of the rug, which would not show up well in a small photo. Given the size and all the work that went into it, you can see why this rug is a bit expensive. It measures 5'3" x 9' (160 x 275 cm) and costs $710.
Piece 5.14956 is a flatweave from the Middle Atlas with an overall design in white and soft accent colors on a brick red ground. Imagine the hours that went into weaving this. Note how the border changes at the bottom of this photo, and the white fringe accents. On the back the white threads are left about 3" long which provides insulation in the mountains where it was made. You can see the design more clearly by clicking on this photo, and see the overall design by clicking here. It is from my personal collection which I'm beginning to downsize since we're moving to a smaller house. There are a few spots that I think I can wash off before sending it to a new home. The size is about 4'10' x 8'2" (147 x 249 cm) and the price is $1295.
