02 February 2005 Paris, and its flea-markets (les puces), in particular La Porte de Clignancourt, are well-known as a great place to hunt for rugs and textiles. Unlike the vast Brimfield flea-market in Massachusetts, there is no crack-of-dawn opening requiring torches and hats and gloves, since the markets open around 10am on Saturday and Sunday, and most of the stands/dealers occupy permanent covered stalls ranging from lock-ups to galleries. Ben Evans reports.
For many HALI readers, hunting for rugs and textiles is perhaps the greatest pleasure of this field. Discovering differences in prices, areas of specialisation and degrees of knowledge can make this an addictive pastime. For some the seemingly limitless scope of the internet gives easy access to an international marketplace from the comfort and safety of their own homes, but for others the chance of hunting in the markets and shops of a foreign, even exotic, city is what it is all about.
The handle and texture of a textile or carpet reveals its subtleties and quality more effectively than a thousands words or two-dimensional images, and visiting new dealers and markets is a profoundly enjoyable experience: a shared interest provides a common bond allowing an entrée into a foreign culture and market, and provides a vocabulary in which to gossip about pieces and prices, people and places.
In the first of a series of market focuses, we cast our eye over the flea-markets of Clignancourt in Paris. Some Parisian dealers operate in the Clignancourt flea-markets as well as having formal galleries in central Paris, and it is not unusual to see gallery owners from central Paris trawling the markets rubbing shoulders with international dealers and interior decorators. And as the auction market in France best serves the Parisian private rather than the international buyer, these flea-markets may be the best and most enjoyable point of entry into the city’s antique rug and textile market.
On the day of my visit, business was reported to be slow. Yet these markets are an important and constant source of antique textiles and carpets for the international market, as was evidenced by the buying and selling of a nice little suzani bokche between the two dealers with whom I breakfasted. The first specialist shop one encounters on Rue des Rosiers is Euro Orient Arts, run by Abbas Deljam, who offers furnishing pieces, mainly tapestries as well as a few good rugs and textiles. Almost opposite are the two main markets with specialist antique rug dealers: Marché Malassis and Marché Dauphine. In the former the first floor has about six dealers who can be relied upon to be open most weekends, and are located along the left side of the upper deck. Gerard Hadjer, and his assistant Massoud, is at 190/191 and occupies the prime position at the front of the balcony overlooking the street. From here he offers high quality rugs, textiles, both collectable and decorative, tapestries and a number of French/European carpets and needlepoints. (His brother Reynold runs the antique carpet gallery Hadjer & Fils at 102 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré).
Around the corner is Massoud Milani, who specialises in collectable rugs and textiles and is full of useful information about the market and who and what is worth visiting. Almost opposite at 128/129 is Nabi Soltani, who offers a mixture of antique rugs and furnishing pieces and has a particular penchant for Turkmen pieces. His neighbour is Chamsoddine Charafzadah, who has a mixture of decorative rugs and room-sized carpets. A few shuttered shops along is Djahanjir Nourt who offers similar stock as well as a couple of tribal rugs. Nearby is Noshataba, a repairer who sells a little bit of everything including textiles, a number of European embroidered seat covers, and beaded material (on my visit).
There are also a number of dealers with a mixture of modern and plain commercial fare at the end of the market, both upstairs and downstairs, but not enough to divert one’s attention for long.
In the Marché Dauphine, there are two major players, both located on the Allée Dauphine: Siamac Kashani and Farhad and Leyla Ahi of Prestige. The former is definitely worth a visit, selling decorative and collectable rugs and carpets, including high end material such as classical period pieces. Prestige stock just about any costume or textile item one could imagine: a 19th century clown’s costume, Chinese shoes, Moroccan embroideries,
dalmatics and a huge selection of antique furnishings – a complete textile emporium. Prestige also has a shop on Boulevard Haussmann in the Grand Boulevard area.
There are many other markets and stalls that have not been mentioned here that may on any given weekend have carpets or textiles for sale. Hopefully this brief guide will provide a starting point for an exploration of the Parisian markets. |
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
