Austria Auction Company ‘Masterpieces III’

February 4, 2026

Austria Auction Company in Vienna will hold its ‘Masterpieces III’ sale on 14 February, featuring forty high quality antique rugs and textiles from private European collections. The lots can be previewed from 11–13 February from 11am–5pm and on 14 February from 11am–4pm. Here are some highlights.

A striking Tibetan ‘Tiger Rug’, dating to around 1900, is a standout lot. Depicting a tiger on tiger skin, this piece is truly unique. The imagery suggests that the animal has just slashed at something: the extended claw marks and the open mouth clearly evoke an act of attack. At the same time, the ‘splashes’ on the three lines are blue rather than blood-red. The wide, staring eyes, protruding tongue and bushy eyebrows rendered in a distinctive ‘pepper-and-salt’ palette further heighten the sense of ferocity. Overall, this is a highly expressive work whose design is virtually without parallel, even within the already exceptionally rare group of tiger rugs.

Tibet Tiger Rug, Tibet, ca. 1900. 171 x 102 cm. Starting price €4000 (lot 6)

Another highlight of the sale is a 17th-century West Anatolian ‘double-keyhole’ rug from Turkey. Only four other examples of this remarkable carpet are known to exist. The first publication of one such example can be found in HALI 5/2, p.168. The famous dealer, Davide Halevim, exhibited it at the Venice Biennale in 1982. Seventeen years later, this piece was shown by David Sorgato at ICOC IX in Milan, HALI 105, page 157.

Early West Anatolian “Double-Keyhole” Rug, Turkey, 17th century. 188 x 155 cm. Starting price €15,000 (lot 22)

A Bukhara large-medallion Suzani from Uzbekistan, dated to the early 19th century, is also a standout lot. It is an extremely rare embroidery of the highest quality. At the end of the 1970s, only a handful of these pieces were known to exist. In the following decades, further examples were discovered. Over the years, several subgroups have been identified within the group, some of which feature different medallions or qualify as belonging to the group due to other characteristics.

Bukhara Large-Medallion Suzani, Uzbekistan, early 19th century. 253 x 166 cm. Starting price €15,000 (lot 17)

An outstanding eighteenth-century Kaitag textile from the Caucasus will feature in the sale. Even viewers unfamiliar with this remarkable tradition are immediately drawn to the inviting colours and the playful articulation of the individual motifs in this exceptional embroidery from Dagestan. The composition is perfectly balanced, testifying to the embroiderer’s assured command of both form and colour, while the vibrant green fields are especially captivating.