History is in the weave
Twice a year In Touch Community Services hosts a carpet auction. Up for bids are fine handmade pieces from the major weaving areas of Central Asia, Kashmir, and Agra. Ten percent of the proceeds go to In Touch, which operates the longest-running telephone counseling service in the Philippines, besides supporting programs such as the Pangarap Shelter for street children. The bidders are mostly expatriates from the US, Europe, and India; this year an American couple took home at least half a dozen rare and gorgeous carpets.
Saturday’s auction was held at Bahia at the Hotel Intercontinental.
From 6 to 8 p.m. the guests enjoyed the open bar and buffet while inspecting the merchandise, which was draped over chairs, displayed on wooden boards, or laid out on the floor. They were encouraged to feel the carpets, run their hands over the weave, and walk on them with their bare feet.
Even if you know very little about carpets it’s a breathtaking sight: so much beauty, crafted painstakingly over long periods, for the most workaday purposes. These pieces could be mounted on walls and admired as art objects, but they were made to be sat on, placed atop beds or tables, and trod on. The artisans from the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Baktiari, Hamadan, Isfahan, Tabriz — the place names alone teem with mystery and romance — weren’t consciously creating museum pieces; they were making household objects. You can sense their pride in their skills and traditions in the finished product; at the same time you know they don’t make a great fuss over their work. These are true masters.
You can see why in the 17th and 18th centuries, Western merchants undertook the long, hazardous voyages to the Orient to obtain these prizes.
And you can tell which guests have serious intentions by their looks as they examine the pieces. They match the items to the numbered list, discuss pattern, size, and possible price, and make notes. The world is in the grip of an economic depression, but there are great bargains for the savvy buyer and this event is packed with them.
“Auction” is an intimidating word, calling to mind dour men in suits raising numbered paddles and driving prices to ridiculous heights. The In Touch auctions are friendlier affairs — nearly all the items are snapped up at prices lower than their recognized value.
Before the evening ends that Kashmir Qum silk carpet with an array of Tree of Life motifs, valued at US$8,500, will be sold for US$3,000 (and they accept credit cards and checks drawn from American and Singaporean banks). Someone will buy that Indo Persian Isfahan carpet priced at US$6,000 for US$2,500. And guests who had no plans of buying carpets when they arrived ended up taking home one or two pieces because they were offers too good to refuse.
At 8 p.m. the assistants roll up or fold the carpets, the chairs are put out, and the auction begins. The auctioneer is the dapper Mr. Shukor, who with his business partner Edmund Rajendra operates Eastern Carpets in Singapore. Mr. Shukor conducts the proceedings with great showmanship and psychological acuity — cajoling, humoring, or gently strong-arming people into parting with their money.
He starts with a short lecture on carpets, their types, motifs, and colors. Tribal carpets are made by nomads and come in rich earth tones. Almost no tribal carpet is perfect because the designs are woven from memory. These inconsistencies are part of their charm.
Village carpets come from areas that have become centers for weaving and selling, and usually have geometric designs. City carpets, the most finely woven, are named for their cities of origin and inspired by their cities’ architecture and religion.
Then the bidding starts. Mr. Shukor introduces a carpet, then asks his assistants to turn it upside down so the viewers can see the sheen of the fibers. Then the carpet is flipped onto its back, and it’s almost exactly the same as the front — such is the craftsmanship. He gives the usual price of the item, then the opening bid — usually a third of the quoted price. If someone raises his or her number card, Mr. Shukor calls out the number and asks for other bids.
There’s a healthy competition on some items; others have no immediate takers. “If you find the opening price too high, make me an offer,” Mr. Shukor says. Someone calls out a number. “No, a reasonable offer,”
Mr. Shukor adds, and the audience laughs. “Stolen!” he announces at the end of the bidding, “For US$1,250.”
“Why do you laugh?” he asks the guests. “He just stole this carpet from you!” The auctioneer is unpredictable: sometimes he parts with an item quickly, as if he were giving it away, other times he withdraws the item because the bids are too low. And at other times, the withdrawn item is brought back, offers are solicited, and after some haggling a bid is accepted.
“No, ma’am, don’t do this to yourself,” he tells a lady. “If I let you have it at that price, when you get home you will feel so bad, tomorrow you will come back and give me the other US$500.”
Halfway through the auction, a Herat tribal rug is brought out. Mr. Shukor points to its asymmetrical design, which makes it literally the only one of its kind. Its value: US$1,600. There are no takers at US$500. “Who will give me a reasonable offer?” he says.
“US$200,” someone calls out. “I have 200, do I have 250?” says the auctioneer. “275?”
“300,” says a voice on my right, and it’s my friend Jay, who thought we were just going to the movies. “I love it,” he declares. By the time the auction is over, he is the proud owner of three carpets.
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If you would like to volunteer as a Crisis Line counselor or to participate in fundraisers and special projects, please call In Touch at 893-1893 or e-mail intouch@i-manila.com.ph.
For free and confidential telephone counseling on issues including depression, peer pressure, school and career challenges, marital and relationship problems, and difficulties in adjusting to new environments, the In Touch Crisis Lines are 893-7603 and 893-7606.
