COLLECTING AND CONNOISSEURSHIP

A small portion of the Oriental rugs available today are recognized as on par with the finest paintings, sculpture and other mediums, yet are dramatically undervalued relative to them. Working closely for over four decades with Mr. Winitz and his staff, clients are assembling caches of those rare, unique examples that remain in good condition.

World Record Shattered by Historic Kirman Vase Rug

Today's sale at Sotheby's of William Andrews Clark's Sickle-leaf, Vine Scroll and Palmette 'Vase'-technique carpet for $33.76 M has enormous significance not only for the antique Oriental rug field, but for the art world as a whole. Clearly…

Men, Women and the Fervor for Collecting

Antique Tribal Rugs Transcend the Decorative

OAKLAND, CA. - To many Westerners, the patterns of Near Eastern tribal rugs appear mysterious, even unfathomable. But these colorful geometrics are, in fact, windows to a venerable wisdom. Oral histories, passed down through countless generations…

How to Turn Rugs into Riches

Increasing Appreciation of Antique Oriental Rugs in the Art World

        As a lifetime lover & connoisseur of 19th-century Oriental rugs, this has been a very exciting time for me. Over the years, while interest in antique carpets from the Second Golden Age of Persian Weaving (1800 to 1910) has…

Selected Bibliography

While our antique rug type guides and articles provide a solid foundation of knowledge for the collector, the world of antique Oriental carpets is a vast one, with a long and storied past. We have taken the liberty of assembling a bibliography…

The Origin of Rugs

by Jan David Winitz President and Founder of Claremont Rug Company Part One Detail from Caucasian Seichur Kuba rug, circa 1875. Looking at the bold geometric or floral patterns of a fine Oriental carpet has a distinct effect on me. Particularly…

Antique Rug Type Guide

Explore the major types of antique Persian carpets and Tribal rugs through commentary & pictures.

Knowing Your Art Deeply And The Fruits That It Yields

by Jan David Winitz President and Founder, Claremont Rug Company Part 1 To know art deeply is a great adventure that yields extraordinary rewards. It allows us to value life more fully. Art reminds us that we each have an inner life that…
,

The Joy of Collecting Antique Art Rugs

Recognizing that their rugs are true works of art that can never be reproduced, many clients are assembling family collections of carpets of substantial rarity and uniqueness, such as those featured in this collection. There has always…

The Heart and Mind of the Collector

We humans have an innate impulse to surround ourselves with things that nourish our emotions, stimulate our imagination, add significance to our rituals, remind us of people or eras from the past, lend order to our worldview, and simply add…

The Symbolism of Animals & Birds in Antique Tribal Rugs

By Jan David Winitz, President & founder Claremont Rug Company Saddled horses, chickens, and human figures cavort on the field of this extremely rare mid-19th-century Bakshaish. Study the golden medallion to reveal two ethereal…

The Life-Affirming Symbology in Antique Caucasian Rugs

Published in Carpet Collector Magazine, Germany by Jan David Winitz, founder and president of Claremont Rug Company Part OneThe life-affirming "Running Water" design often appears between the outer border and the field tone of earlier Caucasian…
,

Building a Collection of Antique Art Rugs

By Jan David Winitz, President & founder Claremont Rug Company Carpet collectors vary in terms of living with vis a vis storing their rugs and most do some of both. Here an exemplary 130-year-old Persian Tabriz enriches…