ISSUE 120 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002
CONTENTS
9 |EDITORIAL
Learning from the past and building for the future; a legacy of order and meaning from art historian E.ff. Gombrich; the Ellis papers at the TM; renewal and the British Galleries.
13 |LETTERS
More on a Ballard Turkmen: Afshar one step too far in Firdaus; EthiopianArmenian links; do Swedish stripes recall ancient tribal affiliations?
15 iNEWS
At SNY collectable rugs continue a strong trend; Sotheby's in there first as the Paris auction taboo falls: Barry Jacobs remembered; galleries open and close in London and Milan.
19 |FRAGMENTS
Asnapshot of family history rediscovered in the auction rooms; moments in the life of a Persian silk rug; Balpinar kilim for World Bank HQ; a Shahsavan perspective on the giraffe.
39 |PREVIEW
Exhibitions: Suzanis at the L.A. Mayer Islamic Art Museum in Jerusalem; African art at the Mingei Museum in San Diego: a rug show at the Allen Memorial Museum in Oberlin, Ohio; Noh theatre costumes at the V&A; a joint textile show in New York; Auction: Classical fragments and European textiles from The David Sylvester Collection coming up at SLO in February.
45 |CALENDAR
Aworldwide listing of auctions, exhibitions, fairs and conferences.
59 IBOOKS
Chinese themes: Robert Jacobsen's Imperial Silks, Claudia Brown's Weaving China’s Past; John Vollmer's AEDTA portfolio Chinese Costumes and Accessories, ijth-2oth Centuries; and John Carswell's Blue and White, Chinese Porcelain Around the World.
63 |TITLES RECEIVED
Aselection of recently published books and catalogues.
73 |BERBERRULES
Ben Evans, Berdj Achdjian. Henri Crouzet, Clive Loveless Demonstrating their peculiar brand of tenacity, in late September 2001 carpet lovers set off to enjoy the culture and hospitality of Morocco. The second north African regional ICOC proved to be one of the most memorable events in the annals of the carpet world. Our reporters follow the pre-conference tour round the royal cities, then return to Marrakesh to review the academic programme and eye-opening carpet and textile exhibitions that took place around the city.
81 [THE ROAD TO MOROCCO
Cheri Hunter For the most adventurous members of the conference party. ICOC Morocco was followed by an eight-day itinerary through rugged and often mountainous terrain, to take in the “Hollywood of Morocco”and Wilfried Stanzer’s Amassine weaving project.
84 |KURT ERDMANN
From European Painting to the Diversity of Islamic Art Jens Kroger One of the most influential of 20th century carpet and Islamic art scholars, Kurt Erdmann was also very much more. Pioneer, prolific author, inspirational teacher, workaholic, founding father of modern carpet studies in Turkey, and finally Director ofthe Islamic Department of the Berlin Museum, he is remembered here on the centenary of his birth.
92 |EARLY AXMINSTER
CARPETS Brenda Rose Once the only choice for the discerning British aristocrat, Axminster carpets woven in the heyday of Thomas Whitty's Devonshire manufactory have been rediscovered by US interior designers. With the accelerating westward drift of these important late 18th century carpets, the author seeks to chronicle their history and designs before the trail goes cold.
101 |THEHALI GALLERY
Ahouse style advertisement section.
111 |REVIEW
Exhibitions: Caucasian village rugs in Colorado; Persian tribal weaving from the Neiriz Collection in BerlinDahlem; Early Chinese and Central Asian textiles from the exhibitions put on for London's Asian Art week; a day of Baluches in Flodenhagen; kilims at L'Espace Chevalier in Paris; late antique 'Coptic' textiles exhibited in Nimes; a special exhibition at Cora Ginsberg in New York; plaiting takes precedence in Basel. Conferences: The 30th Volkmann meeting in Munich included visits to see local private collections; the Washington Textile Museum annual convention takes all things Central Asian as its theme.
125 |AUCTION PRICE GUIDE
Aplentiful crop of classical carpets sold on both sides of the Atlantic, with a half-million dollar Esfahan at SNY and the Aita and Burns rugs at CLO.
135 |DESIGN FILE
Christine Martens describes the life and traditions of Mehmet Girgic, one of the last in a long line of Konya master feltmakers; Richard Purdon travels to southern Anatolia to talk to Celal Vardasuyu of Bereket about his approach to new kilim production.
147 |NETWORK
A classified advertisement section.
153 |PROFILE
Turin carpet specialist Dani Ghigo talks to Luca Brancati about culture, quality, rugs and how it all fits together.
155 |PARTING SHOTS
Friends gather for celebrations in Wiesbaden, London and Birmingham; an autumn fair in Santa Monica, California.
156 |LAST PAGE
True confessions ofan unhinged Parisienne ruggie driven to the brink by a thoughtless neighbour.
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