Issue 228 · Summer 2026·Kazakh embroidered suede robes, Two 16th-century weavings linked by powerful art dealers, An inscribed Caucasian dowry rug and its matrimonial symbolism
Rugs from James D. Burns’s collection headline Bonhams Skinner’s antique carpets sale
Of the 340 lots on offer, 259 are carpets, including 33 from the esteemed collection of stalwart rug collector James D. Burns.
B
Ben Evans
Editor, HALI
·6 min read·12 Aug 2026·
Kurds from Moghan steppe (detail), southeast Caucasus, early 19th century. Lot 29, Bonhams Skinner, est. $5,000-8,5000.
Skinner has the oldest rug department of any auction house in the US, and a strong standing in the market for collectible Americana; a bright spark at Bonhams Skinner therefore realised some time ago that, with the continuing global success of unique curated auctions, combining these two elements might well provide a winning formula: Antique Carpets and American Furniture, 14 August 2026, 12:00 EDT
Silk carpet, India, 18th century (?). Lot 2, Bonhams Skinner, est. $8-10,000.
Of the 340 lots on offer, 259 are carpets, with much to entice readers, most notably the 33 lots from the collection of stalwart rug collector James D. Burns. As carpet specialist Ben Mini notes, “While Jim is best known as the greatest collector of Kurdish rugs, his collection is broad and deep and seems to cover all the bases.” For example, in the first few lots there are two unusual silk carpets: lot 2 is an unusually small silk Indian carpet with a stylised millefleur design (est. $8-10,000), and lot 3 is a fragmented silk Khotan carpet (est. $6-8,000). The following lot appears to be one of the highlights of the sale: a three-medallion cotton rug dating from the early 19th century, in what seems to be good condition for its age, with a few repairs (est. $8-10,000).
Khotan carpet, east Turkestan, circa 1800 . Lot 3, Bonhams Skinner, est. $8-10,000.
It’s interesting to look at some of the pieces from the Burns’s collection and understand why they were bought, when you consider the seminal works on Persian, Kurdish and Caucasian carpets that he published. One example of this is lot 7, described as a Hakkari rug from south-eastern Anatolia (est. $3-5,000): the design synthesises elements from eastern Turkey, the southern Caucasus and north-west Persia, and hums with the brilliant colours so associated with Kurdish weavings.
Hakkari rug (detail), south-eastern Anatolia, 19th century. Lot 7, Bonhams Skinner, est. $3-5,000.
Mini told me, “I think my favourite piece in this auction is lot 31, a rare and early Kurdish rug which Jim Burns purchased from Joseph Fell many years ago. He believes the design on this rug is based on ancient Roman floor mosaics” (est. $8-10,000
Early Kurdish rug, southeast Anatolia, 19th century. Lot 31, Bonhams Skinner, est. $8-10,000.
However, it’s not just the Burns provenance that marks out good carpets in this sale: there are a number of other strong pieces on offer, including lot 177, a Shirvan/Marasali prayer rug, mid-19th century, in excellent condition and colour (est. $8-12,000), with an arrangement of flowers across the field.
Shirvan/Marasali prayer rug, east Caucasus, mid-19th century. Lot 177, Bonhams Skinner, est. $8-12,000.
Bag face or khorjin, west Persia. 19th century, Lot 12, Bonhams Skinner, est. $1,200-1,500.
The majority of the remaining rugs and carpets on offer are decorative carpets, with a very strong offering of Ziegler, Bijar and Heriz carpets. As Mini says, “I don’t think any current auction house has had such a good selection of antique decorative carpets in a long time. One of my favourite things about working for Bonhams Skinner is getting carpets fresh from old estates, jewels in the rough as it were. My personal favourites in this auction are two extremely early Ningxia carpets which were found in a Rockefeller mansion in New England; we think lots 255 and 256 date back to the Yongzheng dynasty in China. Though they are not in the greatest condition, they are fresh to market with the most interesting provenance.”
Carpet, Ningxia, China, Yongzheng dynasty (?), early 18th century. Lot 255, Bonhams Skinner, est. $1,500-2,000. Estate of Sandra Ferry Rockefeller
To view the whole sale please visit Bonhams Skinner here.
