sprice@hsc.vcu.edu
Dear Friends, I see that I've posted two messages about rugs that got
away. Lest you think I never actually wind up with one, here's another.
Some years ago I got a phone call from a friend who is a dealer. He said
he had something in which I might be interested. Now, I knew from
experience that this usually meant that something wonderful was in his
hands, so I got in my car and went to his shop (one of the things I like
about him is that he doesn't have a gallery, he has a shop).
When I arrived he took me into his sanctum sanctorum and pulled out
a fragment of a Tekke ak juval; full width, consisting of the elem and
perhaps 4 inches of the field. It looked pretty nice, although not
terribly old (my guess is turn of the century). "How much?", I asked. He
gave me a number that seemed much too high. Then he said, "Of course, this
comes with it", and out of his stuff he pulled the ak juval shown here.
 The price now seemed much too
low, and I told him so. "You want it? Take it at that price.", he said. I
didn't give him a second chance, scooped it up and took it home. It has
appeared on Turkotek before, also on the cover of ORIENTAL RUG REVIEW, and
was shown at one of the sessions at ACOR-Chicago. And what of the
fragment? When I lecture (as I do from time to time), I use the two pieces
to illustrate the changes that occurred in these things as the 19th
century came to a close. I'm very glad to have it. Steve
Price |