The 6 most expensive rugs ever sold

A rug adds a lot of beauty to any space, such as giving the foyer an inviting look or the bedroom with warmth and intimacy. Carpets are considered a practical and modern piece. As for the prices of carpets, they range to a large extent from the lowest price to the highest price.

Where are the most expensive rugs or carpets ever sold used? Used under the furniture of Buckingham Palace in London, under the king's bed at Graceland or in the opera's sitting room?

The answer may come as a surprise. According to Jacob Burstein's New York Times article published in February 2018, the rich and famous don't spend big on "something to walk their little dogs on!" Here are the most expensive rugs over the years.

Intrigue and mystery

A lot of ambiguity and speculation surrounded the death of the Lebanese-Brazilian Jewish banker Edmond J. Safra. This billionaire died of suffocation in a fire in his house in Monte Carlo in 1999 with his nurse. The media focused on his death, especially after it was proven to be intentional. Forbes named him one of the world's richest people in 2013, and among his possessions were the Safavi carpets from the sixteenth century, an oriental carpet from Persia that was purchased in the fall of 2005 at Sotheby's for more than two million dollars.

It was stolen in World War II

In the Museum of Islamic Art

The 16th century Rothschild Tabriz carpet is the carpet that the Nazis stole from the Rothschild family in Austria during World War II. This magnificent Persian carpet is over 6 meters long and sold for $2.4 million. The buyer was Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al Thani of Qatar The carpet was woven in northwest Persia, and was initially valued at $400,000 before it was sold. It is now in the collection of the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar.

Seventeenth century gem

Isfahan silk rugs from central Persia / Christie's

The beautiful Isfahan silk rug was sold at Christie's in June of 2008. It was bought by a Long Island resident who preferred to remain anonymous. Perhaps the reason behind his unwillingness to be seen was the $4.5 million payment for the Isfahan rug. Once owned by well-known collector Doris Duke, who acquired it in 1990, the rug was given to the Newport Restoration Foundation when Duke passed away in 1993. This 17th-century Isfahan silk rug features 14 different, stunning colours.

Carpet for the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace)

Baroda pearl rug

In 2009, the Baroda pearl carpet was highlighted to become the most expensive carpet at the Sotheby's auction. This amazing carpet includes a million pearls of Pasha seeds, in addition to sapphires, emeralds and diamonds inlaid with gold. It was sold for $ 5.5 million at auction and was sewn in 1865, and it was supposed Basically, this carpet is to be placed on the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, in Medina, but the carpet did not reach its original destination after the death of the Maharaja of Baroda, who ordered its weaving in 1870. As for who bought this piece, it is still unknown to this day, and it is now part From the permanent collection of the National Museum of Qatar.

Kerman Persian carpet

The Kerman Persian rug with vase pattern, another 17th-century rug, became the talk of the carpet world in April of 2010 when it sold at Christie's for $9.6 million. What makes it interesting is that this rug, made in southeast Persia, was originally valued at just over $1,000 just six months before it sold for $9.0 million in 2010!

The most expensive carpet ever sold is...

Picture of Clark Sickle

To date, the Clark sickle rug tops the list of best-selling rugs. This rug is more than 360 years old and dates back to the 17th century. It was owned by the William Clark Company. Clark was an industrialist and former United States Senator from Montana, After his death in 1925, the Persian rug, along with more than 200 pieces, was donated to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Clarke's sickle rug sold for $33.7 million.

The red-and-brown Persian rug was last shown at Corcoran in 2006, and before that at the Sackler Gallery in D.C. in 2003. Before the historic sale, the rug was in storage. As for who paid the high price for the eight-foot-nine inches by six feet five inches, Sotheby's is undisclosed as with many of these handmade rugs, as the buyer who made the bid by phone has so far remained anonymous.

What makes the Clack sickle rug sell for such a high price?

Perhaps it was the fact that this rare Persian carpet characterized by its "vase technique" was not expected to be made available for auction. Persian carpets from the 16th and 17th centuries are also believed to be works of art, and the country of origin along with the history of the rug plays a role when Determining its value The current owner of the Clark Sickle rug wasn't the only one who was willing to shell out a huge sum for this historic rug. Three other people got involved in a bidding war before Sotheby's Mary Jo Otsi and chief advisor announced that the rug had become "sold." Before the auction, the carpet was estimated at about five to seven million dollars!

Translated by: plushrugs.com