Carpets and Asian Art at Van Ham, Cologne

October 22, 2014

On 5 December, 2014, the first sale of ‘Carpets and Tapestries’ to be held at Cologne auctioneer Van Ham’s new location at 2 Hitzelerstrasse, will include an outstanding early 18th century silk carpet from the Tarim Basin in Eastern Turkestan (modern Xinjiang).

Xinjiang silk kang cover, Eastern Turkestan, early 18th century, Estimate €50-70,000

This rare small carpet features a pink-coloured ground decorated with exquisitely formed yellow-gold lilies that appear to sway in the wind. Perhaps originally produced for a noble lady from the Chinese imperial court as a covering for a kang or dais, it was included in the famous ‘Asiatische Kunst’ exhibition held in Berlin in 1929, when it belonged to the F. Brandt Collection (cat. no.1114). The rug is one of a group of just four ‘lily’ carpets with swastika/bat borders, according to Michael Franses writing in the catalogue accompanying the 2005 exhibition ‘Splendor of the Sons of Heaven – Imperial Chinese Carpets 1400-1750’, held at the East Asian Art Museum in Cologne. The other three comparable works are located in museums and distinguished collections. The present lot, which is estimated at €50,000-70,000, and the so-called ‘Yale Lily Carpet’ illustrated in the Cologne catalogue (no.23) are almost identical.

‘Transylvanian’ double niche rug, west Anatolia, 17th-18th century. Estimate €10-12,000

In addition, the sale includes several exceptional carpets, including a beautiful white-ground ‘Transylvanian double-niche rug from the 17th or 18th century, modestly estimated at just €10,000-12,000, while a superb 19th century Bakhshaish carpet from northwest Persia carries an equally inviting €7,000- 8,000 estimate.

Bahkhshaish carpet, northwest Persia, secondhalf 19th century. Estimate €7,000-8,000

A fine, antique Qashqa’i runner with a patterned border is expected to make €2,500-3,000 and a silk ikat chapan, estimated at €2,500-3,000, stands out among other collector’s items and decorative rugs.

Van Ham will also hold its first ever sale of Asian Art on 4 December 2014 in co-operation with Kunsthandel Klefisch. The highlight of the consignment is the important Asian art collection assembled by Dr Otto Schwend during the 1920s and 1930s while working in China and also in Thailand as a doctor with the Rhineland Mission to East Asia. Several additional pieces from Asia will compliment this exceptional collection, headed by a Chinese hanging scroll from the Ming Dynasty depicting a scholar in a green mountain landscape.