rugtracker

Sunday 21 October 2012

"Rug Forgeries"in Berlin

Jozan asks :

1

The answer is the one on the left

2-Tuduc-Ionescu page 83

Complete with areas of noble rot,this was an excellent choice, as the original,once in the Keszler Collection,has been missing since 1925.


3-Tapis Turcs 24

As often Tuduc altered the copy by darkening the main border,thus avoiding the accusation of an outright plagiary.Unfortunately this upsets the colour balance as a whole.

Whilst in Berlin,perhaps Mr.Ionescu could be persuaded to look into the matter of the Polak Carpet,whose dubious Chronogram and overbearing stiffness make it a prime candidate

4-The Polak Carpet,Berlin,dated 1610

The above was probably copied by Armenian craftsman in Istanbul,in the late 19th Century,from a fragment in the TIEM,which had been brought to the museum from the Sultan Ahmet Mosque.Discussing the group in Hali 4/1,page 39, Pinner & Franses confuse the two pieces.

A thorough dye analysis would set matters straight.


5-TIEM


Saturday 20 October 2012

New Masters of Tekke

Interesting items show up sometimes at Neumeister`s in Munich.Such was the case on the 17 October 2012 when a rare Turkmen torba was offered for sale


1-Neumeisters 518


Described in the catalogue as a "tschowal"this torba was in all likelihood Tekke work,with a Persian knot open to the right,and a typical Tekke back and weave.The weavers had miscalculated the göl ratio,and were obliged to foreshorten the torba towards the top.This was particularly disturbing in person,and the sordid condition( deliberately dirtied up)did not enhance the rugs` appeal.Nevertheless,starting from a 200 euro estimate,it peaked at 2800 euro.Perhaps a good wash will improve its appearance.

A similar item was once offered by Hans Elmby

2-Elmby IV-58



Elmby was at a loss to ascribe it,settling for Kizilayak.However the border does occur sometimes in Tekke work

3-Nagels 27.3.12-Lot 21

The above example from the Loges Collection is a good example of Turkmen "true grit"

The border has been sighted on some members of the "Eagle" Group

4-Michael Franses
9- Göl Tekke Torbas with the usual 6-Göl version are rare,but at least 11 are known

5-Private Collection Germany

6-Rippon Boswell 26.11.11-21

 Why so few were made is anyone`s guess.Perhaps because the Tekke tried everything?Whatever.

Sunday 7 October 2012

We`ve found items that might interest you

The supply of Classical fragments has dwindled in the last years,but Christies London still promotes them.A point in case was the Vase fragment sold on 2.10.2012.

1-Christies Lot 81
It had previously been sold by Rippon Boswell in May 2006(Lot 009)for 2900 euro,but some  years before,on the 4th of November 2003,went for 3600 euro at Nagels in Stuttgart.

2-Nagels


Christies cataloguer refers en passant to the fragment now in the Lyons Textile Museum

3-Lyons Musee des Tissus

Both pieces share a three-plane design,the apparent stiffening in the border of the Lyons piece is attributed to its later date.Friedrich Spuhler divided the two types into"Swinging"(early)and "rigid"(late)styles.The Christies fragment has an intertwined border more associated with earlier models,the supreme example being the carpet(or carpets)scattered about the world,which so entranced Frau Klose

4-Christies 25.4.2002-Lot 76

The Christies fragment has a two band plaiting,that from 2002 a complex and elegant three banded intertwining.More fragments from the same carpet(s)can be seen in the V&A,the Louvre,Boston,the Hermitage,et al.Strapwork borders with thick plaiting are uncommon amongst the Vase group,which tends to feature narrow borders,or entwined arabesques.

Returning to the 2012 example,another bit of the same carpet was sold at Sothebys in 1993, ex-collection Dr Andre Ungar

5-Sothebys 28.4.1993-Lot 63

The Christies fragment was first published in 1908,in a brochure which served as a piece of proto-advertorial for Bernheimer`s in Munich

6-Monatshefte XXII,1908

This is evidently the other end of the carpet,which must have been in complete condition at the time.

However,the two carpets may have formed a pair.But it is unlikely that the Bernheimer piece would have thus lain dormant for the last hundred years.

The strapwork border is a borrowing from the group of large Medallion Carpets from North West Persia,best illustrated by the ex-Baron von Tucher example now in the Textile Museum

7-Myers Collection,Textile Museum

After its turbulent ride through the auction world,this seminal Vase Carpet fragment sold for a well-deserved 3500 pounds.

Sunday 16 September 2012

Tekke Kelle Ensi

Few readers will be unaware of the Rapiscan Review,a blog site maintained by Californian dealer George Gilmore.


Always on the lookout for exciting collector goods,Mr.Gilmore`s post of  8/27/12 mentioned an interesting Tekke ensi for sale at CRN Auctions in Cambridge Ma. on September 9.Lot 375 was estimated at $8-1200 dollars,and eventually sold at $17,000,excluding buyer`s premium.




1-CRN Auctions Lot 375
Gilmore accurately compared the CRN piece to a rug published in Turkoman Studies,page 156,illustration 336.However,the two pieces belong to different design groups.The TS piece was sold on 26 November 2011 at Rippon Boswell,and an APG followed in Hali 171,page 124.In both pieces the trees in the border have been separated into panels by horizontal stripes.

2-Rippon Boswell 26.11.2011-lot 19


The rare elem-border trope was obviously the chief selling factor at CRN.Moshkova named such tree patterns "Kelleli"(but she also used the term to describe the "Animal-Tree" Group).In his book on Turkmen designs,Klaus Troost reserves the term for the Animal-Tree Ensi,using the term "Kelle "for the tree border design.The design also appears on Tekke chovals,mainly of the 16 gol type,and in a truncated form on Chodor chovals with ertmen gol.

3-Moshkova-O`Bannon page 223


The ensis can be divided into two groups:those in which the tree forms fill the elem,and the more appealing group in which the trees flank all sides.

The wrap-around group can again be subdivided into two groups:Group A,known here as "Kelle",and Group B,known here as "Kelle-Halo"

The first group,in which the bejewelled tree design appears only in the elem,is actually a fairly standard Tekke ensi

4-Bausback 1982-130

The inner scrolling-leaf border with hash-tags seems to be a constant,as is the sickle-leaf main border.Variations do occur

5-Chris Legge-Larta 2012

And a piece from Rug Rabbit bears a second,stacked elem often found on Tekke Chovals

6-Burak Serdaroglu-RugRabbit


7-Orientalische Teppiche,1891,page 120


We enter a completely different realm with the "wrap-around" Group."Type  A" Kelle pieces may  best be represented by an example from Eberhart Herrmann ,in which the flowerheads have grown handles,and the Insykush field sports the ultra-desirable birds-heads

8-Weltkunst 1999



A similar piece erupted at Grogan`s back in 2006(see Hali 148-115)

9-Grogans 22 April 2006-106
And a further Phantom of the Internet has been sighted

10

Better known is the example from the "Turkmen"Exhibition of 1980 in Washington,later reprised for the Atlantic Collections ICOC Exhibit,in which the tree forms demonstrate their apotropaic qualities


11-Turkmen 45-Atlantic Collections 194

Less Sentinel-like and more stately was HJ-Krausse`s square format example

12-Hali 78-4

Whilst a piece from The Jan Timmerman collection appears to float on suspension rings,and the entire frame is encompassed by "Kelle"

13-ex-Timmermann



The first "Type B" Kelle ensi seems to have been published by Peter Bausback in 1969

14-Bausback 1969-77

A gutsier example was on display at the Washington ICOC exhibition

15-Washington 174

The trees in Peter Hoffmeister`s piece have a delicate saryk touch to them

16-Hoffmeister 33


E.Herrmann`s example is quite other-worldly


17-ATT 2-56




During the late 70`s the "Animal-Tree" ensis rose to fame,and a number of stirling examples appeared.Their connection to a group of Tekke asmalyk endowed them with an iconic status. However, more indifferent pieces also surfaced.Perhaps one day they will be eclipsed by the Kelle group,of which so few examples remain.

Monday 27 August 2012

Pazyryk Magazine







The watershed year of 1968 also saw the birth of the first International carpet magazine,Pazyryk.Published from Brussels(in English)by Werner Gratz,it had a short-lived career of one issue.



1



Alongside articles from Arthur Pope(later republished in "A Survey"),the youthful Jawosch Azadi,and Sufi populariser Idries Shah,the most interesting contribution came from Edmund de Unger.It features what appears to be his drawing room, with a Polonaise carpet on the wall,and a medallion carpet on the floor.


2-chez de Unger
The Polonaise has an interesting history,having been published in the "Wiener Werk" of 1892.Its pair is now in Berlin, a gift to Wilhem von Bode from the Prince of Liechtenstein.

3-Keir Collection


4-Berlin


The Medallion carpet is presumably the Stora carpet,once in the Possession of the London dealer Jekyll.It bears the distinction of being the only other Safavid carpet with a direct relation to the Ardabil.

5-The Stora Carpet-Keir Collection

An article on the Pazyryk carpet was de rigeur,and Turkmen buffs will be intrigued by the following: "Imrali is the name of a small island…used as a penal settlement.The inmates of the Imrali prison produce rugs which are signed with the name of the island"With interviews and scholarly articles,it really deserved to succeed.Perhaps it was somewhat premature?

Ten years later Hali was launched,and a new era began.

Available from Newsagents everywhere,or download here




Sunday 26 August 2012

Have we forgotten anybody?




We`ve forgotten McCoy Jones!

Happy Hour was never far away


Due to public demand,the Fortune Magazine article"Flying High on Magic Carpets" can now be read here in its entirety.


Saturday 25 August 2012

Red Indians

Fragments can open up new avenues of research.One such case is the Mughal item sold at Christies on the 24th of April 2012.

1-Lot 117

Previously offered in this form at Sotheby`s Islamic in October 1982(Lot 75),it had actually first appeared at Christie`s sale of 19th April 1979,as two lots.

2-Lot 24 and 25

Somewhere between 1979 and 1982 it was cut and remounted.Perhaps more pieces will be parcelled  out in the future.The Hali APG(Hali 172-121)notes the presence of a middle red silken weft,as found on the Lady Baillie piece sold at Sothebys in 2006 for 257,660 Dollars.(see Hali APG Hali 149-105)

3-Sothebys October 2005+September 2006,Lot 40


The inference being that the fragments actually form part of the missing extensions to this "Shaped"  carpet.At a length of 2.90 mtrs,the Christie`s fragment would have endowed the Lady Bailie with a   maximum possible size of 4.30 by 4.60 mtrs This is unlikely,as all the carpets in this group are wider than long,in the customary panorama view.Unless the fragment itself has been reconfigured....The lappets are also described in the Christie`s 2005 and 2006 catalogue as having been reworked into the field(which is incorrect)It thus seems that the Christie`s fragments were not part of the Lady Baillie.Be that as it may,judging by the warp direction the fragments were from the right-hand side of a Shaped carpet.

However,what is a "Shaped"carpet?The expression was coined by the German Collector Franz Sindermann.As often,the description is a misnomer,as not all of the Mughal Floral Carpets (MFC`s)are thus woven.They can be divided into two groups:

1 ) The arched carpets,with asymmetrical "lappets" forming an oval or indented shape.

2 ) The "Landscape"carpets in rectangular form,woven vertically,but to be viewed horizontally.


There are two types of arched rugs,with either rounded or straight indentations.Of the 12 complete examples of arched carpets shown here,6 have an oval indentation,and 6 have a straight one.The extensions are both pointed and blunt-it would be interesting to know why.They are all on a red ground with green narrow borders of blossoms and leaves.The Landscape style rectangular carpets have wider borders with smaller scale repeating flowers.They are also on a red ground with green ground borders,but exceptions occur,as in the Jaipur fragment( 8.55 mtrs long!)

4-Jaipur-Albert Hall Museum-105


This is a  simple way to identify and classify fragments from shaped carpets.Another is the appearance in the field of diagonally placed floral sprays,which are used to rotate the design(arched style)

5-Getty 7

The same device is employed in the borders of the Landscape carpets.

6-Getty-Tabibnia

The carpets were presumably woven by weavers working from Talims,as suggested by Jon Thompson(In Quest of Themes and Skills,Marg 1989).Each flower would have had its own little plan.However,the Talim notation was probably not read out loud-the weavers had to decypher it individually.Mistakes are commonplace when employing the Talim system.A critical point for things to go wrong is the axis where the flower-sprigs rotate.On the Jaipur example the right-hand side has serious "bumping"

7-Jaipur-after Gans-Ruedin



8-Talim writer -Chattopadhya-80 + 81


9-Talim-Chattopadhya 82 + 83


The Arched and Landscape carpets are always reproduced in the panoramic view,but in fact,they appear to have been woven vertically,i.e the designs were knotted sideways.This is akin to weaving a Saf,and the few Indian Safs known were also knotted vertically,with the design turned on its axis.Prayer Dhurries were also woven in this way.
10-Keir Collection



It`s a logical working method-otherwise looms of up to 5 meter width would have been required.This salient point has not  been emphasised  in the published literature.Of the fifteen good quality closeups available for study(Arched and Landscape)all have been knotted"sideways".Misunderstandings can occur when a portion of rug is shown from the rotating axis area,as in the closeups used by Sotheby`s for the Lady Baillie.


11-Sothebys 2005 + 2006
Here is the area of carpet from which the closeups were made:

12-Lady Baillie


Finally,the warp direction is clearly visible on the Michaelian Landscape carpet:

13-The Michaelian

The carpets were woven on cotton warps,with up to ZS 10 recorded.Some examples have a red silken middle weft,otherwise a 3 row cotton weft is normal.Knotting ranges between 144 to 156 knots per square inch.It is unclear how the side finishing was carried out in the area of indentation.Presumably the warps were simply cut and fixed.The carpet of course was rectangular on the loom,the area of indentation covered by weft.



The tedious discussion concerning the original function of the arched carpets need not be gone into here.Needless to say,all the plausible explanations can just as easily be refuted.The best overview can be found in Daniel Walker(Flowers Underfoot,page 105)

Here is Walker`s drawing of two rugs placed together,resembling a re-entry prayer niche:

14


The Getty Arched Pair were purchased by Billionairess Doris Duke for her Museum mansion on Honolulu.Here they are in situ:

15-at Shangri-La


Generally considered to be a pair,placed together they look like this:

16-Getty Auction 7 + 8
Carpets of unusual shape do occur in other areas such as Turkestan,where they were used as animal trappings for festive occasions(i.e the Turkmen wedding)

17-Atlantic ICOC Nr.138
However they are always symmetrically shaped.

18-Marg

By general agreement the most beautiful example is the carpet now in Cincinnati.This piece,or its double, was also used by Hendley in a drawing,to map the different plants.

19-Flowers Underfoot 10


20-Hendley Plate 1A


This Cincinatti was also published in Erdmann,700 years,fig.254,and in Hali 4-3,Nr.253.

Purists may prefer the noble simplicity and order of the Getty pieces:

21-Getty 7


22-Getty 8


The Boston Museum of Fine Arts carpet was acquired in 1966,from John Goelet:

23-Boston


The Textile Museum piece seems never to have been published in colour.

24-Textile Museum


The Maharajah Sawai Man Singh II Museum has two examples:

25-Jaipur 1


26-Jaipur 2


Made for the Amber Palace and purchased in Lahore in the mid 17th century,one of a pair remains in the Albert Hall Museum.

27-Woven in Kashmir?


It looks quite petite in this foto,but in real life resembles a captured beast of prey

28-Foto Franz Sindermann
Campbells inventory reveals that Jaipur was a happy hunting ground for dealers,already at the time of Hendley.May Beattie`s inventory notes a number of items which were sold at Sothebys in the `70s.
Campbell`s 176 is a case in point.

29-Campbell 176
This was later cut up and divided.Eskenazi published the left hand side in 1982

30-AEDTA,Paris


But the other half had been sold at Lefevre`s in 1978,and is now in the LA Meyer in Jerusalem

31-Lefevre 3.2.1978-lot 5

At least a further 4 examples are known from the Campbell Photo Album,now slumbering in the V&A Library:


32-Campell 125-City Palace Museum-Foto Franz Sindermann


33-Campbell 140


34-Campbell 127

35-Campbell 159
Finally,a carpet in the Banaras Hindu Museum has only been published in closeups:

36-Benares

37-Published in Marg 1965

There are another five fragments of arched-shaped carpets:

38-Lisbet Holmes-could be a Landscape carpet


A fragment auctioned at Bonhams connects up to another in the Calico Museum

39-Bonhams 12.10.2004-Lot 52


40-Montage:Franz Sindermann

41-E.Herrmann ATT-1-71




42-Bavarian Collection

43-Simon Ray,London

The Landscape carpets are obviously connected to the arched examples,but how and why is another piece of the Philosopher`s Stone.The consensus favours the Michaelian carpet sold at Edelman`s New York in 1980,as best of type.

44-Edelmann 25.10.1980-lot 203

It was later restored and went to the Al-Sabah Museum in Kuwait,where it survived the Iraqi invasion.

45-Kuwait Catalogue 144

Some wondrous fragments from the Michaelian were later auctioned at Sothebys New York:

46-Sothebys 3.6.1989-lot 1

And a Dhurrie fragment,similar in feeling,was on show at the Milan ICOC:

47-Sovrani ICOC Catalogue Nr.16

Thought by many to be a pair are the Keir and Tabibnia pieces:

48-Keir Collection

The Tabibnia example has an illustrious provenance:Kevorkian-Getty-Mirzakhanian (sold at Sothebys in 1969 for 4800 GBP):


49-M.Tabibnia


A large fragment sold in 1975:

51-Christies 12 .6.1975-lot 60-could be an arched carpet
The Gulbenkian carpet,first published by Kendrick and Tattershall,from the Harris Collection,which may be a re-configured carpet( Hali 114,page 82):

52-Gulbenkian Museum


Campbell`s 165 has some intriguing cut-outs:

53-Campbell 165


The above-mentioned Jaipur fragment(8.5 meters)in a less formal pose:

54-Jaipur

Finally the Ballard example:

55-Ballard,St.Louis

There is a small group of carpets,numbering at least 6 pieces,with addorsed floral designs.

56-Flowers Underfoot

One cannot be sure if some of these carpets have not been re-configured.The Christies carpet has an arched style border and rotating cornerpieces:

57-Christies 13.10.05-lot 101


58-Imre Schwaiger


59-Andrews




A carpet in the V&A has a counterpart in the Calico Museum:

60-V&A 188-1927

61-V&A+Calico Museum-Montage Franz Sindermann

62-V&A-J.Wearden






A fragment said to spring from Campbell`s 37/49,or from its pair,was carbon-dated to no earlier than 1656(Ghereh 38,page 14)
It had been previously sold at Sothebys on 12 October 1999,preceeded by an album of carpet photos taken by Colonel Hendley.

63-Campbells 37-49

64-Campbell`s 37-49

65-Sothebys 12.10.99-Lot 92

Assorted bits have shown up at auction in the last years:

66-Christies 29.11.1989-lot 53

67-Sothebys  Islamic April 1985-145

68-Lefevre 1980-Sothebys Islamic October 1982 Lot 76

69-Lisbet Holmes-Hali 2-1-page 26
70-M.Voigt-Rugrabbit




Another bit is perhaps from Campbell:
71-Phillips 1988 and Sothebys 20.09.2006-Lot 1

And finally the recent discovery by Steven Cohen of a splendid Landscape fragment at the Burrell:

72-Burrell Museum-Hali 172-48

Another fragment,probably from the same carpet,was published in the ICOC catalogue,Pacific Collections:

73-Nr.237-Fong Collection
Another possible contender could be the Bernheimer fragment with its cotton/red silk weft and Z7S warp

74-Bernheimer,Christies 14 february 1996-148



In a letter to Hali(173-19),Penny Oakley suggested that a fragment sold during her time at Bernheimers was a border piece to the above.The fragment was purchased by J.P Willborg and now resides in a German collection

75-Hali 59-Willborg advert

The Oakley Willborg Fragment was collated by Campbell,registered as his number 209.It is the part on the upper left-hand corner.The fragment had disappeared by the time of May Beattie`s inventory of 1972

76-Courtesy Sindermann



There are also two round carpets,both in the Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur.One has an arabesque design,the other our familiar botanical theme:

77-Albert Hall Museum Catalogue 106


78-Albert Hall 105-addorsed design





One last group of conventional shaped carpets carries on with the large flower format(without lattice)

The best known is the Kevorkian carpet,now in the MET:

79-MET

It`s twin is still in Jaipur


80-Jaipur
A fragment auctioned at Sothebys may or may not belong-it could also be a bit of re-configured Landscape carpet:

81-Sothebys Islamic sale October 1982-lot 74

And a jovial shrub carpet now in Kuwait:

82-Kuwait



To conclude,some reproductions of Mughal carpet flowers,from Colonel Hendley`s great Opus.

Hendleys


83-The Crown Imperial Lily

84-1907

85


Franz Sindermann zugeignet