Charles T. Yerkes (1837 - 1905), New York
Erich Maria Remarque (1898 - 1970),  Ascona 
Private collection, Switzerland
The Textile Gallery, London 
Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection

Ausstellung iranischer Kunst. Elamitischer und persischer Kulturkreis, Zurich, Kunstegewerbe-museum, 10 May-19 July 1936
The Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, Park Lane, London, Stand No. 61, 18-26 June 1984

Mumford, The Yerkes Collection of Oriental Carpets, London, 1910, Plate IX
Friedrich Spuhler, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection: Carpets and Textiles, trans. Maria Schlatter, Philip Wilson, London, 1998, p.178, Plate 46
Thomas J. Farnham, The Yerkes Collection, Hali, Issue 101, November 1998, pp.75-87

Colours tonally fairly accurate colour match. Overall appearance is crisper and more defined in reality. The following notes are extensive, but not exhaustive: personal inspection of the carpet with the condition report to hand is strongly advised. The carpet was apparently folded along central vertical axis at some point which must have resulted in the breaks/damage in lengths down the central axis, which have been rewoven and repiled. For example: i) the first from the top edge, starts 50cm down and is approximately 14cm. in length/depth, irregularly shaped, and up to 1cm. in width; ii) second from the top edge, starts 105cm down and is approximately 47cm. in length, irregularly shaped, varying from a few knots to up to 3cm. in width; iii) third from the top edge, starting 191cm down and is approximately 20cm. in length, an approximately 1cm. in width; iv) there is a small cobbled repair, from top edge, starting 232cm. down until 235cm; v) rewoven section at approx.233cm. down, paddle shaped into the right hand side, up to 20cm in depth and narrowing to section 8cm. wide and then to between 3-4cm; vi) there is evidence of old repair and harp stringing at 285cm down; Then cobbled repairs along the central axis down through to the lower edge of the carpet. The pile is original, however there is some corrosion and associated wear throughout. There are occasional loose warp threads on the surface. See catalogue and on-line images. From top left corner down the left border of carpet: there is a repaired split/fold dart extending from the top edge of left corner of border to outer corner of inner white guard stripe, which is approximately 34cm. long. There is a section approximately 8cm. long, currently open. There is a small split along the edge of the inner guard, approximately 7cm. long. Rewoven area in left border, approximately 128cm. down from the top edge, irregularly shaped, 32cm. in width and varying between 11cm and 15cm. in depth. Appears to be some localised re-piling to some of whites in the lower section of the field where ground most worn, for example see animals in corners, both approximately 27cm. up from the lower edge, the white civet in left corner, and the white ox in the right corner. From the top right corner of the carpet down the right side: there is a repaired split in the upper border, approximately 37cm. in length. There are small nicks and losses to edges, then small repair, 'J'-shaped split, approximately 8cm. in length, and 48cm. in from the right hand edge. There are scattered localised weft reinforcements. There is a reweave in right hand border, approximately 126cm. down from the top edge, irregularly shaped, 32cm. in width and varying from between 4cm to 13cm. in length/depth. It is approximately at the same level as the shaped reweave on the left border, and is probably a reflection of the damage caused when folded in storage at some point in the past. Repairs appear to date from the early 20th century. Area of repair in border, approximately 215cm. down from the top edge, irregularly shaped, 18cm. by 18cm., with cobbled joined split along the edge of the guard stripe and withe some old reweaving patched in and tinted to blend, including tinted warps in the red palmette and blue ground and some surface restorations of light green to the palmette. Section of partially re-tinted guard stripe, approximately 22cm. in length, by 2-3cm. wide. There is a 2.5cm by 2.5cm sized reweave to the white lion, approximately 206cm. up from the lower edge of carpet. There are two old repairs, re-opened holes next to each other, approximately 123cm. up from the lower edge (nearly half way up), and 8cm. long by 2cm, wide and 10cm. long by 2cm. wide, respectively. There are losses to the old restoration, and they need some attention. They are visible on close inspection in the catalogue and on the on-line photograph. In addition there is an irregularly shaped reweave, approx. 8cm. in depth, level with these previously mentioned holes, which extends approximately 17cm. in from the right hand edge. There are some cobbled splits in the red ground level with the repairs in right border. Old repaired split lower right border, approx. 39cm. in length, varying up to 1cm in width, and located approximately 15cm. in from the right hand edge. Corner of lower right edge guard stripe, with an irregularly shaped rewoven section approx. 10cm. in length and 6cm. wide.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

During his lifetime, Heinrich, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon (1875-1947) amassed hundreds of artworks into one of the finest collections of the 20^th century. His dedication to classical carpets ensured that hugely iconic weavings entered the family's collection, including the famous Béhague-Sanguszko carpet. Europe's illustrious rug collectors, such as Wilhelm von Bode and Kurt Erdmann, sold their best pieces to the Baron, who quickly obtained some of the most important classical carpet weavings known and attainable at the time.

When Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza died, the large collection was divided up among his heirs. Eventually, the new head of the family, Hans-Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza (1921-2002), bought back works from other heirs and recreated the collection. In his role as head of the family Hans-Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza not only inherited a vast business empire in naval construction and oil but also a love and appreciation of oriental carpets. Continuing in his father’s footsteps Hans-Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, together with his wife Baroness Carmen, enriched the family collection with exquisite rugs, carpets and textiles, including classical Chinese carpets from the late 17^th and early 18^th centuries. Highly prized by both Baron Heinrich and his son, Hans Heinrich, these carpets, rather than being shown in the public gallery in the Villa Favorita in Lugano, were enjoyed in their private homes. By the late 20^th century the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection♔ had become o💞ne of the world's most important depositories of classical carpets.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection of carpets was first published in 1972 by May Beattie, and updated in 1998 by Friedrich Spuhler, op cit. The lot offered here appears as Plate 46 in this cited publicati🔯oꩲn.

Before it entered the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, the `Yerkes-Remarque' Mughal hunting carpet was owned by several highly prominent collectors of the late 19^th and 20^th centuries. The first of these was Charles T. Yerkes (1837 - 1905); a so-called 'robber baron'. A somewhat infamous businessman, famed for his bribery and philandering, Charles T. Yerkes began collecting carpets not out of a passion for the subject but in order to ‘create a collection without parallel, one that anyone would have to envy.’ (Thomas J. Farnham, The Yerkes Collection, Hali, issue 101, November 1998, p.77) Fuelled by his competitive streak he spent a fortune on acquiring remarkable carpets and, with the aid of several dealers, worked hard to establish an astonishing collection. Yerkes’s efforts paid off and Michael Franses even suggests that he was ‘possibly the first important collector of historical oriental carpets after Cardinal Wolsey, King Henry VIII and the Habsburgs’. (Franses quoted in Farnham, ibid, p.75).

The sale of 🍷the Yerkes Collection, upon his death, bought huge publicity and, due to the scandal attached to his name,ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ stirred unprecedented curiosity. It is Yerkes who is credited for whetting the appetite of American collectors and elevating, through the finesse of his carpets, their taste.

Following the famous 1910 sale the Mughal hunting carpet entered the collection of Erich Maria Remarque (author of All Quiet on the Western Front) in Ascona, where it remained for several decades. In 1986, having passed to The Textile Gallery, it then entered the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. The prominence and reputation of its previous owners has ensured the carpet is now counted amongst carpet royalty, with Friedrich Spuhler supposing that it may have been part of the extensive carpet collection of the Maharaja of Jaipur, although there is no documentary evidence to support this. However, as noted below, the accomplished design would indicate a court workshop, the inspiration probably provided by the highly elaborate court carpets of 16^th and 17^th century Safavid Iran, such as the mid-16^th century  'Emperor's Carpet', now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art,  illustrated in Valérie Bérinstain, Susan Day, Elisabeth Floret, Clothilde Galea-Blanc, Odile Gellé, Martin Mathias, Asiyeh Ziai, (ed.), Great Carpets of the World, The Vendome Press, Paris 1996, Plate 115, which includes an 🌱elaborate system of flowering vines, cloudbands and palmettes amongst which scenes of the chase and mythical animals are seen.

The design of the 'Yerkes-Remarque' Mughal hunting carpet is simple but beautifully executed. The field itself is divided into four, almost identical, blocks of design. The main field, dominated by the wine red ground, is then enclosed by an ivory inner border, whi⛦ch picks up and accents the white of the animals. Defined by the intensity of its dark blue ground the main border serves to echo the deep blue of the central palmettes. As if to complete and unify the overall design tᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚhe outer border is composed of a thin strip of wine red.

Within the main field we find varied palmette and rosette blossoms linked through elongated lancet leaves together with the distinct Mughal Indian leaf forms, made up of a cornucopia of blossoms. Scattered amongst these large ornate flowers, filled with deep blues and framed by flame outlines, are detailed animal combat scenes. In one instance a powerful tiger, poised mid-air, is ready to pounce upon an unsuspecting white zebu bull. In a scene just above, a pink spotted leopard bites hungrily into the rewards of his chase, an exhausted blue deꦏer.

The main border is particularly intricate and has been executed with exceptional care. Yellow vines, covered with forked leaves, unfurl in an S shape creating a distinctive and fluid pattern. In the gaps between the scrolling vines we flip alternately from highly ornate and boldly coloured palmettes to lions feasting upon fawns. In this case the lions are detailed with light blue ‘flames’ and clawing outstretched paws. The undulating vines loop beautifully at the corners, propelling and maintaining this sense of fluidity and movement. Spuhler notes that ‘such accomplished corner solutions tend to indicate court design workshops’. (Friedrich Spuhler, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection: Carpets and Textiles, trans. Maria Schlatter, Philip Wilso🀅n, London, 1998. p.181, Plate 46).

The long, narrow format of this carpet is typical of Mughal and Safavid Persian court carpets of the period; in the west, contemporary collectors of these precious carpets often displayed them on refectory tables. An example is the 'Fremlin' carpet, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, which was made for William Fremlin, a servant of the East India Company between 1626 and 1644, probably as a table carpet; it was most likely made for him in Lahore after 1637, when he became President of the Council of Surat. The family coat-of-arms appears in both the main field and the border.  (Illustrated in Sarah B. Sherrill, Carpets and Rugs of Europe and America, Abbeville Press, New York, 1996, Plate 159). As in the lot offered here, it displays scenes of the chase on a wine red ground, although the motifs are sparser and it does not have the dynamic energy of the present lot; it does however, allow us to securely date this example to no later than the first half of the 17^th century.