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New York | +1 212 60 06 7176 | Lauren Gioia | Lauren.Gioia@Sothebys s.com | Ali Malizia a | Alexandra.Ma [email protected] com

THE CLAR RK SIC CKLE-L LEAF C CARP PET AC CHIEV VES $33 3.8 MILLION AT SOTH HEBYS S Setting a Ne ew Wor rld Rec cord for r any C Carpet at Auc ction

The T Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet, Ea arly 17th century, Est. $5/7 million, Sold for $33 3,765,000

Importa ant Carpets from the William W A A. Clark k Collec ction Sold by The Corcora an Galle ery of Art A to Be enefit Fu uture Ac cquisitio ons Total $43.8 M Million hite Glov ve Sale with w Eve ery Lot Selling A Above Estimate --- Wh
NEW YORK, 5 June 20 013 Today ys sale of Imp portant Carpe ets from the W William A. Cla ark Collection n Sold by A to Benefit Future Acq quisitions brou ught an impre essive total of f $43,764,75 50, over the Corcoran Gallery of Art four times th he pre-sale high estimate of $9.6 million, making it t the most su uccessful carp pet auction ev ver held. The sale of 25 carpets was w 100% sold, achieving White Glov ve status, and d with every single lot ach hieving a h estimate e. At least four bidders fo ought for ove er 10 minutes s for the star r lot, the price above its pre-sale high

important an nd revered 17th century Clark C Sickle-Leaf Carpet t, which sold for f an astounding price of f $33,765,00 00 (est. $5/ 7 million), a ne ew world auct tion record for any carpet by b a significan nt margin.* Th hat price also o establishes a new bench hmark for an ny Islamic work of art at auct tion.**

C Sickle-L Leaf Carpet fo or a record-bre eaking price o of Selling the Clark more than th hree times the e previous auc ction record fo or a carpet ha as unquestionab bly been the highlight of f my 30 yea ar career. It iis gratifying to see the stre ength of the market for carpets c of thiis arity. As an au uctioneer field ding multiple bids b per lot from quality and ra m a global audie ence of privat te collectors, in nstitutions and d dealers, the experience was w thrilling! noted n Mary Jo J Otsea, Sen nior Consulta ant, Rugs & Carp pets at Sothe ebys.
An O ttoman circular carpet, Cairo, E Egypt, th Second half of f 16 century, Est. $80/120,000, Sold for $785,0 000

resident, The e Corcoran Gallery G of Ar rt, Peggy Loa ar said, We are absolutely ly thrilled Interim Director and Pr ults of today' 's auction. Th he significant proceeds rais ised will enab ble us to make e dynamic ac cquisition with the resu choices in line with our mis ssion as we loo ok to the futur re.

s battled for the 44 foot lo ong, majestic Lafes Carp pet, eventually y driving the price to a rem markable Two bidders total of $4,6 645,000, ov ver three time es the high es stimate (est. $800/1.2 m million). The m morning bega an strong with five bid dders vying fo or the first lot of the sale, an Ottoma n circular ca arpet, Cairo, Egypt, whic ch finally achieved $7 785,000, far exceeding th he high estim mate of $120,,000. The sa ale ended on an equally h high note with a Mug ghal silk rug, , the Deccan, probably Hyderabad,, India makin ng more than n nine times its high estimate of $60,000, $ br ringing $545,000.

h The e Lafes Carpet, , second half 17th century, Est. $8 00/1.2 million, S Sold for $4,645,000

About the Corcoran The Corcoran Gallery of Art, a privately funded institution, was founded in 1869. It was Americas first dedicated art museum and today is Washingtons largest nonfederal museum of art. It is known internationally for its distinguished collection of historical and modern American art as well as contemporary art, photography, European painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts. In addition, a dynamic schedule of special exhibitions is complemented and enhanced by a range of educational programming, which together seek to enrich perspectives, support the local arts community, and encourage interpretation. The Corcoran College of Art + Design was founded in 1890 and stands as Washingtons only four-year college of art and design, offering BFA degrees in Digital Media Design, Fine Art, Fine Art Photography, Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Photojournalism; a BA in Art Studies; a five-year Bachelor of Fine Arts/Master of Arts in Teaching (BFA/MAT); an AFA in Digital Media Design, Fine Art, Graphic Design, and Photography; and MA degrees in Art and the Book, Art Education, Exhibition Design, Interior Design, Master of Arts in Teaching, and New Media Photojournalism. The Colleges Continuing Education program offers part-time credit and non-credit classes for children and adults and draws more than 2,500 participants each year. For more information about the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design, visit www.corcoran.org.

Rugs & Carpets at Sothebys Sothebys is the undisputed leader in the field of Rugs & Carpets. For decades, Sothebys has achieved the top prices for rugs and carpets from Persia, France, India and Turkey and held sales of the most important collections, including Carpets from the J Paul Getty Museum (1990) and Carpets from the Estate of Vojtech Blau (2006). Sothebys established a new benchmark for any carpet at auction in 2009 with the sale in Doha of the Pearl Carpet of Baroda which achieved $5.5 million. Other notable prices include $4.3 million for a Safavid silk, Wool and Metal-thread Prayer Rug (2009), $3.4 million for a Safavid voided silk velvet metal thread strip and boucl figural panel from Persia (2009), $2 million for a Safavid Animal and Tree Carpet from the Collection of Lily and Edmond J Safra (2005), and most recently, a late 16th century Safavid Carpet sold for $1.9 million this past January. Sothebys also holds the record for any Islamic work of art at auction - an illustrated folio from the Shahnameh, made for Shah Tahmasp of Persia, sold for $12.2 million in 2006.
FOR MORE NEWS FROM SOTHEBYS Visit: www.sothebys.com/en/inside/services/press/news/news.html Follow: www.twitter.com/sothebys Join: www.facebook.com/sothebys & www.weibo.com/sothebyshongkong Watch: www.youtube.com/sothebys Sothebys has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sothebys became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sothebys presents auctions in 8 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sothebys BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids in real-time from anywhere in the world. Sothebys offers collectors the resources of Sothebys Financial Services, the worlds only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Contemporary Art department, as well as Sothebys Diamonds and Sothebys Wine. Sothebys has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID). Estimates do not include buyers premium and prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyers premium. Images are available upon request All catalogues are available online at www.sothebys.com or through Sothebys Catalogue iPad App.

* The previous record for any carpet at auction was for a Kirman vase carpet selling for $9,599,535 in 2010 in London. ** The previous record for any Islamic work of art at auction was for an illustrated folio from the Shahnameh, made for Shah Tahmasp of Persia which sold for $12.2 million in 2006 at Sothebys.