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The International Magazine o f Fine Carpets and Textiles Issue 49, Volum e 12, Number 1, F ebruary 1990

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Editor Alan Marcuson Deputy Editor Daniel Shaffer Chief Sub-Editor Kate Johanna Weiner Assistant Editors Maria Schlatter, Jill Tilden

Editorial Assistant Gwyneth Francis Contributing Editors Ian Bennett, Donald King, Steven (kthen Yanni Petsopoulos, Parviz Tanavoli, James Reid

John Mills. Alberto Boralevi, DeWitt Mallarv

Consultant Editors Robert Pinner, Michael Franses

Art Editor Liz Dixon Assistant Art Editors Amanda Bakhtiar, Jill Newman

Art Assistant Tat Fan Liu

Distribution Manager

Chris Jung Subscriptions Stephanie McKennell, Lindsay Armstrong

General Administration

Joyce Bentley-Smith

Receptionist Zobida Khan Picture Librarian

John Stroud

International Advertisement Manager

Sebastian Ghandchi USA & Canada Advertisement Manager

Nicholas Fripp Network Advertisement Executive

Fabrizio Khanlari Advertisement Co -ordinator

.AnneMacArthur

Publisher & Managing Director

Bobby Marcuson Publisher’s Assistant

Sarah Brook

Hali Publications Ltd. Kingsgate House, Kingsgate Place London NW6 4TA, United Kingdom

Telephone (01) 328 9341 Telex 940 13138 (h a l i c ) Fax (01) 372 5924

AMember of the Centaur Communications Ltd. Group

DISPLAY ADVERTISEMENTS................................ Textura Group Special Advertisement Section

EDITORIAL LETTERS ....................................................................................................... FRAGMENTS................................................................................................ B rief news reports and comment on events and items o f interest in the world o f carpets and textiles.

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FORUM.............................................................................................................................. 9 The vexed question o f the collectability and aesthetic value o f fragments is one which is constantly raised in the field o f textiles, where they are readily accepted, and carpets, where antediluvian attitudes still have many advocates, among them Sam Gorden o f Vienna. Caucasian Rugs CONNOISSEUR S CHOICE......................................................................................14 Bv Eberliart Herrm ann The choice o f one o f the world's premier dealers is the Abadjian Star Kazak, which has always eluded him and which he believes to be simply the best o f its type. Tibetan Rugs ATRIBAL TRADITION............................................................................................16 By Thom as J . Cole The author, an American dealer/collector based mainly in Kathmandu, believes that conventional wisdom attributing the genesis oj the Tibetan plateau s poorly understood carpet weaving tradition to Buddhist sources is seriously flawed, and instead speculates on a possible central Asian tribal origin. Pre-Columbian Textiles A STANDARDISED ICONOGRAPHY Nazca Interlocking Warp &Welt Textiles....................................................... 30 By Jam es W. Reid 1[ALI ’.vcontributing editor, a South American textile specialist, has identified a specific group o f Nazca tapestry-woven shawls, shirts and mantles whose predominant geometric design theme, the Ltwin rectangle banner' motif, he believes to have as yet unexplained cultural significance. Indonesian Textiles CLOTH OF GOLD...................................................................................................... 38 Bv Jonathan Hope The Hirayama Collection o/kain P rada from Java, Sumatra and Bali provides the basis fo r this review o f the Indonesian tradition oj high status gilded batik cloth, as used both in court ceremonial and bourgeois life.

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