NEW YORK — A Persian rug from the early 17th century has sold for $33.7 million in New York City.
Sotheby's auction house said the price on Wednesday for the Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet was more than three times the auction record for a carpet.
The Sickle-Leaf Carpet sold to an anonymous telephone bidder. The seller was the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington.
The carpet was part of a collection bequeathed to Corcoran in 1926 by William A Clark, an industrialist and senator from Montana.
The record for a carpet was $9.6 million for a Persian carpet sold by Christie's in London in April 2010.
The Sickle-Leaf carpet measures 8 feet 9 inches by 6 feet 5 inches.
The price includes the auction house's premium.
The sale was expected to net the Corcoran $6.7 million, the estimated minimum value of the 25 pieces on the auction block. The 16th and 17th century rugs from Persia, India and Egypt all sold for more than double their high estimate. Another valuable piece, The Lafões Carpet, an Isphahan carpet from Central Persia, raked in $4.6 million, far higher than its $800,000 to $1.2 million estimate.
It's good news for the financially struggling Corcoran, which will use the proceeds of the sale to acquire works of American and contemporary art. The Corcoran's deaccession policy prohibits it from using the money for operating expenses, in accordance with museum standards.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the results of today's auction,” Peggy Loar, interim director of the Corcoran, said in a statement. “The significant proceeds raised will enable us to make dynamic acquisition choices in line with our mission as we look to the future.”
