Posted by Marvin Amstey on March 03, 1999 at 11:53:29:
In Reply to: Re: Commercial Motives posted by Alan Nagel on March 03, 1999 at 08:39:58:
: For clarification's sake, Nagel is a rug-bug of some half-dozen years now, owner of fewer than a dozen and very uninterested in selling, or even competing in the higher ranges of collectors (humanists don't get paid enough).
: I'm not a purist about commercial motives, in fact am convinced that science too has some drives of that sort (gotta get more $$$ for neurological experiments, can't let those NASA people eat it all up for space research).
: And thus to put my previous post into an example, have efforts like Black Mt/Woven Legends, Zollanvari, Tolga Tollu, and Bohmer's DOBAG had a 'paradigm shift' on the rug community at large? They have certainly had an impact on the marketing (and here Erol's skepticism is on center: "vegetal dyes" doesn't necessarily mean much in the descriptions of rugs for sale these days).
: But have they really made us think differently about rugs either as a general community or as a specific research community? I've no idea.
: AFN
One thing that Woven Legends and the others have accomplished from my point-of-view is that they made me more aware of the spinning and dying process. I've learned that some new rugs are truly good rugs. I have just furnished a new house; as a rug collector, I would not put a great Tekke main carpet on the floor because I would not wish to see it get any more wear. I would not put an antique beautiful large Bidjar on the floor because I wouldn't pay that much money. A vintage Aubusson is beautiful, very decorative and very expensive. The new production introduced by Berji Andonian's company is nearly as beautiful and 1/10th the price. This furnishing activity has made me aware of what is being done out there, and it is impressive. Has this become a paradigm and changed my collecting point set? Absolutely not! The decorative rug business has always catered to the furnishing markets for 1000 years; some of these might become collectable - long after we're gone. These are not the same as ethographic rugs which most Americans collect; nothing's new about them - only new discoveries of ethnic groups. Regards, Marvin