Anatolya - Antique kilim dealer based in Bordeaux

What is old ?
Nowadays, it is extremely hard to find good old kilims, it was not that easy before either.The kilims presented as old in many shops, may have, or need, very important repairs and very highly priced. Therefore, it is necessary to differentiate, the made-up fragments and the newly made old looking kilims. Also some big kilims have been cut into several pieces and sold as a complete kilim. The new kilims and the complited parts of the fragments will fade and peel soon , and will be damaged with the first wash.
Oriental textiles are considered new up to 30 years, 30 to 60 semi old and 60 to 80 old, above 80 years of age, they become antiquities. Any of the Kilims made in the last 20 years will hardly exceed the first phase even the best quality productions. After all this advises, I am not recommending you to buy the first old kilim you come across, and forget about the newer ones, just informing, how and where you can still acquirer one of the last survivors of Anatolian kilims.

What is "Hand Made" and How to find ?
Today ’’ hand made ’’ used by most merchants does not reflect the real meaning as it is supposed to. Alas, it has almost nothing to do with the presented kilim or carpet. When it is applied to recent productions (especially since the 1980’s) means only the work at the loom has been done by hand, while all the processing mentioned in the precedent chapter has been treated (mechanically) in a factory, so there is a labour, but nothing ’’hand made’’ like painting a wall with a brush.
With these effects and the absorption of rural life by ’’said ’’ modern society. Largely self-sufficient tribal life, turned to a settled urban life style. This obliged nomads to produce cheap textiles to survive with a total abandon of all traditional, historical and sense of pride values.The coincidence of these radical changes with the interessement for kilims by the Western amateurs and collecteurs and some rare shops in the years of 60s-70s. And finally kilims gained a great interest throughout the western markets in the1980’s. Attracted by their colourful, powerfully patterns and graphical qualities, with their unbelievable adaptation to the modern house, in harmony with any furniture style. As prices climbed and with the increasing demand of the western markets for old kilims. First, the kilims from the nomads houses were bought or exchanged by local or foreign dealers, Secondly, to continue to supply growing occidental demand , the dealers turned towards to the mosques to obtain thousands of donated kilims throughout the centuries, exchanging them with machine made or wall-to-wall carpets. Within less than 20 years, the kilims have disappeared from the houses and the mosques. Hardly any indigenous examples of old kilims remain in Anatolia. As international demand for kilims continued. The industrialisation to produce new kilims for commercial purposes began, and is now a solidly established industry in Anatolia. Industry means production: So faster the weaver can finish her kilim, faster she can sell . Cheaper she can produce, the more profit she can make. At the beginning, they continued employing authentic compositions with very poor quality wool and bad colours.These productions found place in the Western market, but expectations were not there compared to the old kilims . This pushed the producers to invent "NEW OLD PIECES’’ so began, SUN FADING and CHEMICAL WASHING to make kilims supple and to give a better hue in colours, recently HEAVY PRESSING and TEA WASHING to make them thiner and look much older. The Combination of these treatments was enough to turn an unpleasent new kilim into an OLD or ANTIQUE LOOKING kilim!. within three months time (June – august). So created the market of new old Kilims with no value or durability. Unfortunately, these productions represent 98% of said old kilims on today's market, sold for very high prices, especially by merchants installed in luxury and well placed shops, and via internet.Presenting themselves as noble connoisseurs, and their kilims as authentic pieces, pretending to find them while exploring the whole of Anatolia! During a week journey…! Filling their shops with NEW OLD PIECES.

Where and How to buy ?
My advises are addressed to the people who would like to obtain a real artefact, in the best condition for its real value. I have nothing to say for those, buying something, somewhere from someone, for an astronomic price after listening to commercial patter. (Like, number of knots, busy designe, it was made for marriage... with the wool from the X part of the sheep...ect. A serious connoisseur does not get ingaged in to this type of patter.) Once the reality appears, they blame the kilim/carpet dealer. In reality, they never faced a real dealer. Because the artefact has no value as explained. With 40 years experience and being an official expert, I know what I am talking about. The surprising point is that, this type of salesmen have more success than we do; negotiating mercenary articles as old and authentic artefacts for very high prices. Certainly many of you have experienced: Asked 1000$, bought for less than half price, after a hard bargaining. With a conviction of doing a good business. Astuteness like this is possible by multiplying the normal selling price by ten. Remember; commerce is not possible without benefit. If you are not an initiate, amateur or without basic knowledge, invest your time to find a serious and specialized dealer, rather then searching the merchandise. Do not pay attention to the, liquidations, door-to-door sales and 99% of expositions organised by the merchants particularly the ones out of your city. In sales, if the reduction exceeds 20%, even by known shops. Rarely the article is correct, or exorbitantly priced.
If possible avoid some luxury and well-located shops, a few hundred meters around, you can find the same quality kilim, if not better for about half price. I personally know some of them, where they have to increase their buying prices by about 3 times, to face their emplacement expenses. With cheap kilims it may work. But it makes the price of the real old kilims uneffordable: 100$x3= 300 sold for 600$ may sound reasinoble. BUT 500$ x 3 = 1500 imagine you the selling price !.
Evoking such details will not be appreciated by the presumed kilim merchants; What to do? As “DETAILS MAKE MY DIFFERENCE’’, so its my obligation to inform you on the most basic indications, for those who do not want to be mistaken in the jungle, while hunting one of the last survivors of old Anatolian kilims.

INFORM YOU BEFORE, AFTER ITS TOO LATE.

- Anatolya, 9 Rue de la Boëtie, 33000 Bordeaux -
- 05 56 52 55 56 - Contact -

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Advices


	What is old ? Nowadays, it is extremely hard to find good old kilims, it was not that easy before either.The kilims presented as old in many shops, may have, or need, very important repairs and very highly priced. Therefore, it is necessary to differentiate, the made-up fragments and the newly made old looking kilims. Also some big kilims have been cut into several pieces and sold as a complete kilim. The new kilims and the complited parts of the fragments will fade and peel soon , and will be damaged with the first wash. Oriental textiles are considered new up to 30 years, 30 to 60 semi old and 60 to 80 old, above 80 years of age, they become antiquities. Any of the Kilims made in the last 20 years will hardly exceed the first phase even the best quality productions. After all this advises, I am not recommending you to buy the first old kilim you come across, and forget about the newer ones, just informing, how and where you can still acquirer one of the last survivors of Anatolian kilims. What is "Hand Made" and How to find ? Today ’’ hand made ’’ used by most merchants does not reflect the real meaning as it is supposed to. Alas, it has almost nothing to do with the presented kilim or carpet. When it is applied to recent productions (especially since the 1980’s) means only the work at the loom has been done by hand, while all the processing mentioned in the precedent chapter has been treated (mechanically) in a factory, so there is a labour, but nothing ’’hand made’’ like painting a wall with a brush. With these effects and the absorption of rural life by ’’said ’’ modern society. Largely self-sufficient tribal life, turned to a settled urban life style. This obliged nomads to produce cheap textiles to survive with a total abandon of all traditional, historical and sense of pride values.The coincidence of these radical changes with the interessement for kilims by the Western amateurs and collecteurs and some rare shops in the years of 60s-70s. And finally kilims gained a great interest throughout the western markets in the1980’s. Attracted by their colourful, powerfully patterns and graphical qualities, with their unbelievable adaptation to the modern house, in harmony with any furniture style. As prices climbed and with the increasing demand of the western markets for old kilims. First, the kilims from the nomads houses were bought or exchanged by local or foreign dealers, Secondly, to continue to supply growing occidental demand , the dealers turned towards to the mosques to obtain thousands of donated kilims throughout the centuries, exchanging them with machine made or wall-to-wall carpets. Within less than 20 years, the kilims have disappeared from the houses and the mosques. Hardly any indigenous examples of old kilims remain in Anatolia. As international demand for kilims continued. The industrialisation to produce new kilims for commercial purposes began, and is now a solidly established industry in Anatolia. Industry means production: So faster the weaver can finish her kilim, faster she can sell . Cheaper she can produce, the more profit she can make. At the beginning, they continued employing authentic compositions with very poor quality wool and bad colours.These productions found place in the Western market, but expectations were not there compared to the old kilims . This pushed the producers to invent "NEW OLD PIECES’’ so began, SUN FADING and CHEMICAL WASHING to make kilims supple and to give a better hue in colours, recently HEAVY PRESSING and TEA WASHING to make them thiner and look much older. The Combination of these treatments was enough to turn an unpleasent new kilim into an OLD or ANTIQUE LOOKING kilim!. within three months time (June – august). So created the market of new old Kilims with no value or durability. Unfortunately, these productions represent 98% of said old kilims on today's market, sold for very high prices, especially by merchants installed in luxury and well placed shops, and via internet.Presenting themselves as noble connoisseurs, and their kilims as authentic pieces, pretending to find them while exploring the whole of Anatolia! During a week journey…! Filling their shops with NEW OLD PIECES. Where and How to buy ? My advises are addressed to the people who would like to obtain a real artefact, in the best condition for its real value. I have nothing to say for those, buying something, somewhere from someone, for an astronomic price after listening to commercial patter. (Like, number of knots, busy designe, it was made for marriage... with the wool from the X part of the sheep...ect. A serious connoisseur does not get ingaged in to this type of patter.) Once the reality appears, they blame the kilim/carpet dealer. In reality, they never faced a real dealer. Because the artefact has no value as explained. With 40 years experience and being an official expert, I know what I am talking about. The surprising point is that, this type of salesmen have more success than we do; negotiating mercenary articles as old and authentic artefacts for very high prices. Certainly many of you have experienced: Asked 1000$, bought for less than half price, after a hard bargaining. With a conviction of doing a good business. Astuteness like this is possible by multiplying the normal selling price by ten. Remember; commerce is not possible without benefit. If you are not an initiate, amateur or without basic knowledge, invest your time to find a serious and specialized dealer, rather then searching the merchandise. Do not pay attention to the, liquidations, door-to-door sales and 99% of expositions organised by the merchants particularly the ones out of your city. In sales, if the reduction exceeds 20%, even by known shops. Rarely the article is correct, or exorbitantly priced. If possible avoid some luxury and well-located shops, a few hundred meters around, you can find the same quality kilim, if not better for about half price. I personally know some of them, where they have to increase their buying prices by about 3 times, to face their emplacement expenses. With cheap kilims it may work. But it makes the price of the real old kilims uneffordable: 100$x3= 300 sold for 600$ may sound reasinoble. BUT 500$ x 3 = 1500 imagine you the selling price !. Evoking such details will not be appreciated by the presumed kilim merchants; What to do? As “DETAILS MAKE MY DIFFERENCE’’, so its my obligation to inform you on the most basic indications, for those who do not want to be mistaken in the jungle, while hunting one of the last survivors of old Anatolian kilims. INFORM YOU BEFORE, AFTER ITS TOO LATE. - Anatolya, 9 Rue de la Boëtie, 33000 Bordeaux - - 05 56 52 55 56 - Contact -