The $4.5 million Persian rug

The world’s most expensive rug may be silk, Persian and four or five hundred years old, but does it really tie the room together? One anonymous buyer seems to think so.

Sold by Christie’s for $4.45 million, the 16th or 17th century Persian rug measures 7’ 5” by 5’ 7”. It was previously owned by Doris Duke, a tobacco heiress who purchased it in 1990 and left it to the Newport Restoration Foundation when she died. Its record selling price amounts to over $700 per square inch.

The most expensive rug’s record may soon be beaten, however, by the storied Pearl Carpet of Baroda. Commissioned in the 18th century by Khanda Rao Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda, the rug is similar to one that decorates the Taj Mahal. Featuring around two million naturally seeded pearls, the rug is embossed with gold set with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. It features three stunning rosettas made of diamonds and silvered gold.

Due to the untimely death of the Maharaja, the rug was never delivered to the destination he had intended for it. Instead of gracing the tomb of the prophet Mohammed, the rug stayed with the Maharaja’s family since its completion.

Now it may fetch a sum as princely as its pedigree at a Sotheby’s auction in their new office in Doha, Qatar. The expected hammer value for this most expensive rug is $14.5 million.

Just make sure to wipe your feet before walking on my most expensive rug, m’kay?

The Pearl Carpet of Baroda

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