‘I thought it might sell for 10 or 15 million dollars,’ Mary Jo Otsea, the auctioneer and senior consultant for rugs and carpets at Sotheby’s, told The Washington Post. ‘No one ever expected to see it on the market. Its beauty and rarity — the closest comparables are in museums.’ This is what Dailymail mentioned about the fascinating world’s most expensive rug Clark Leaf Persian carpet.
The Clark Sickle-Leaf carpet, an extraordinary piece of Persian artisanship, was created in the 17th century, likely in Kerman, and exemplifies the elegance and superb craftsmanship of Persian rugs from that era.
It has a story that is woven into the very threads of its existence, it indicates that this is not just a rug but a historical artifact of immense value. At Qali, we started a new series called ‘expensive rugs’; we discuss the story behind the rug, the design and its art. In this blog article, we will tell you its beautiful story about the design motifs and pattern and why it was sold for such a high price tag? We also delve into a comparison between the similarities of this amazing rug and the world of painting.
Who is Willian Clark?
It is named after its previous owner, an industrialist, Billionaire, US Senator William Clark, and is celebrated for its distinctive sickle-leaf pattern which contributes to its aesthetic and artistic depth.
Senator Clark, who served two terms as a U.S. senator from Montana, was an avid art collector and amassed a significant collection of Oriental carpets during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a prime time for Western collectors to acquire such works. While he was visiting Europe, he bought this masterpiece from a dealer in Paris.
Later, after he died in 2 March 1925, his collection were donated to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1926. The rug had been stored for decades by the gallery until it was auctioned off to an anonymous bidder. In total, 25 carpets from his collection were sold for over $43 million, far exceeding the pre-sale high estimate; perhaps fascinating innovative motifs and artistic design made his collection expensive rug worthy!
What makes the Clark Sickle-Leaf carpet particularly notable, aside from its age and condition amongst other Mr. Clark collection, is the astonishing price it fetched at a 2013 Sotheby’s auction, amounting to more than $30 million. This sale price set a record for the most expensive rug ever sold, surpassing the previous auction record by a significant margin.
The Clark Leaf Motif
What truly sets this carpet apart is its “incredible combination of age, condition, and beauty, with a true artistic depth,” according to Jan David Winitz, a dealer and expert in the field. Perhaps, one of the critical elements of this gorgeous rug is the leaf motif; after all, it was one of the main reason why this rug deserved to be sold at a staggering price. Therefore, the question is why such motif is so unique?
Hieronymus Bosch’s or Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s paintings Are Close to Clark Leaf Rug due to the profound attention to the details and numerous texture.
First, let’s take a deep look into the design:
- The sickle-leaf pattern is significant in Persian rugs due to its rarity, artistic complexity, and historical lineage. It is a long, curved leaf with a serrated concave edge, which is a characteristic element in Persian rug designs.
- the rug showcases the many beautiful patterns with extraordinary vitality, achieved through a complex network of swirling vines, intertwining and overlapping branches laden with flowers or fruits. This intricate design is overlaid by the curling, split, and serrated ‘sickle’-leaves.
Hence, the answer to that question is that due to its complexity, it is so challenging and hard to weave the motifs by hand; and, this particular rug not only has the leaf motif, but also other minimal and complicated elements as well.
The story of Leaves and Bygone Empires
This motif’s special nature is further enhanced by its connection to the grand artistic traditions of the Safavid dynasty, which ruled Persia from 1501 to 1722. Moreover, the pattern is a rendition of the Ottoman ‘saz’ leaf motifs. These motifs were popular in various forms of art during the Ottoman era, including textiles, ceramics, and bookbindings.
Introduced around 1550 by the imperial studio of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, these motifs symbolize a blend of cultural influences across the Ottoman and Persian empires.
Furthermore, the sickle-leaf design is the rarest among the ‘vase’ technique carpet patterns, which adds to its uniqueness and desirability. The ‘vase’ technique, which is a particular method of carpet weaving, also indicates the high level of skill of the weavers and the significant time investment required to produce such a piece.
This technique, coupled with the sickle-leaf design, was employed not only in Persian Safavid and Ottoman court carpets but also in works from the Caucasus and Mughal India, showcasing its widespread influence and importance.
What is The Vase Technique?
The ‘vase’ technique in Persian rug weaving is characterized by its intricate design work that includes a complex network of motifs (for better understanding, take another look at the details of the rug in picture above). This technique often showcases a luxurious array of colors and a crispness of drawing that highlights the superior skills of the weavers and designers involved in creating these rugs.
Rugs woven with this technique are noted for their exceptionally narrow borders, often lacking guard stripes, which is a distinctive feature of this style.
Differences in the execution of the sickle-leaf and other design elements can indicate the relative age of the rugs, with the Clark rug believed to be one of the oldest, dating back to the late 16th century. This fantastic style got more stylized and regular over time, which helps experts establish a chronology of these artworks.
Clark Leaf Rug and Northern Renaissance Painting
In Western art, the detailed and ornamental nature of the Clark Sickle-Leaf carpet might be closely compared to the intricate works of the Northern Renaissance, particularly the detailed millefleur backgrounds found in tapestries and paintings of that period. These works often feature an abundance of small flowers and plants, akin to the dense, fine patterns of the Persian carpet. Additionally, the attention to detail and texture in the carpet is also akin to the precise and meticulous brushwork found in the still life or the nature-inspired segments of Hieronymus Bosch’s or Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s paintings, where every element is rendered with care and significance.
Also, compare Clark Leaf rug with Hieronymus Bosch‘s artwork. Both have an umpteenth of subtle details.
Conclusion
This rug, along with its historical significance, has a provenance that contributed to its desirability among collectors and enthusiasts alike. Today, the Clark Persian rug is celebrated not just for its astonishing auction value but for its craftsmanship, beauty, and the enduring legacy of the Persian carpet-weaving tradition. It is a woven narrative of human skill, a witness to history, and a silent storyteller whose language is one of color, pattern, and texture—a language that speaks to the soul of the connoisseur and the layman alike. We hope you enjoy this article in ‘Expensive rugs’ series; if you like this series, please take a look at Louis XV’s Savonnerie Carpet. Let us know what do you think about Clark rug in the comment.