But Can It Fly? Persian Rug Sells For Record $33.7M

It doesn’t fly, but its price certainly soared.

A Persian rug from the early 17th century sold in New York City on Wednesday for a record $33.7 million, the Associated Press reported.

Sotheby’s auction house said the price for the Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet was more than three times the previous auction record for a carpet. The previous record was for a Persian rug sold by Christie’s in London in April 2010 for $9.6 million.

The rug was sold to an anonymous buyer who bid by telephone. It was sold by the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Once owned by industrialist and U.S. senator from Montana William A. Clark, the carpet was bequeathed to the Corcoran in 1926.

The dazzling red rug features traditional Persian designs, accented with feathers and maple-leaf-shaped fans.