Sunday, November 16, 2008

Claremont Rug Company Catalog Offers Rug Connoisseurs Glimpse at Art Level Collections

I think we are in bad shape when Marketwatch is reporting about rugs on their homepage. Yeah the markets are closed on the weekends, so I bet it was a slow news day for them, but still. They are trying to make this recession sound like it doesn't exist everytime I turn around, but this time I have to say that they are grabbing at coat tails on this one. But if you are into these types of rugs then maybe you can shed some light on them for me since I don't understand how they are so great. I am not rich so a rug is just a rug in my book.

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov 10, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Jan David Winitz, internationally recognized rug connoisseur and president of Claremont Rug Company, today announced the availability of a 32-page brochure highlighting some of his gallery's latest acquisitions of significant art-level 19th century Oriental carpets.

For more than a quarter-century, Claremont Rug Company's catalogs have offered one of the very few opportunities retail customers have to study extraordinary examples of this art form. "The catalog consistently receives considerable praise from clients and collectors alike," Winitz said. "Actually, rare book dealers seek out and sell our older catalogs, a further affirmation of the serious global interest in major antique Oriental rugs."

Among the highlights of the current edition are rugs from three notable collections that Winitz recently acquired and is featuring in a special event called "The Threefold Collections." These include "an absolutely drop-dead" 150-year-old Persian Kermanshah on the cover that he calls "the crown jewel of a long-established collection from Charlottesville, VA." Rugs in these collections range in value from $20,000 into six figures.

"This gratifying response from rug lovers underlines what I have been stressing for some time," said Winitz. "For generations, the best art-level rugs have remained in private hands. In today's market, they are extremely seldom available for viewing. We have been fortunate to have attained a stature that when substantial private collections becomes available, they are offered to us exclusively."

The catalogs, produced semi-annually, contain photos and descriptions of rare carpets from Claremont's inventory. "We are incredibly meticulous in how we produce our images," said Winitz, noting that the Company maintains its own full-time art photographer, Michael Irwin; two color-specialists, and an archivist. The Fall 2008 catalog contains photographs of 34 rugs.
Irwin recently explained his photographic process: "Our photos require significant effort to produce because of the rugs' amazing amount of detail and myriad subtleties of color. It is much more challenging to render an antique carpet than other art forms because it is hand-woven using literally millions of individually hued knots." He emphasized that capturing the patina the wool takes on has been "our crowning achievement."

The catalog can be obtained by calling Claremont Rug Company at 1-800-441-1332 or registering at the Gallery's website ( www.claremontrug.com). The price is $25.
SOURCE: Claremont Rug Company

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