beautiful...and fascinating, thanks Richard
From: "'Richard J. Williams' pundits...@gmail.com [FairfieldLife]"
<FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com>
To: Richard J. Williams <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2014 9:49 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] The Art of Oriental Carpets [1 Attachment]
[Attachment(s) from Richard J. Williams included below] The Art of
Oriental Carpets
by Rita Williams
Figure 1: Anhalt carpet, mid–16th century.
Iran - Cotton warp, silk weft, wool
pile, asymmetrically knotted;
L. 317 1/2 in., W. 167 in.
We hve always been fond of Oriental carpets and we often admire the small
carpet we purchased in San Francisco back in 1968. We often use it as a prayer
rug for doing program and for meditation. When we build our dream home we want
hardwood floors and oriental carpets spread out all around the house. Often I
think we could just get rid of the furniture and just lounge around with some
softy pillows. However, Rita probably won't go for this - she likes her sofa
and chairs. Go figure.
The basic types of oriental carpets:
Oriental rugs come in a breathtaking variety of designs and colors. They are
a fascinating art form that has endured for centuries, for they are both
beautiful and useful. A pleasure to behold, these rugs designs have come to us
from ages past as well as modern times. One needn’t know anything about
Oriental rugs to enjoy their colors and patterns, although a bit of background
information can enhance one’s appreciation of the art form.
One of the most widely known facets of Islamic culture is the Oriental rug.
According to author Janice Summers Herbert, “the term ‘Oriental rug’ refers
specifically to handmade (both knotted and woven) rugs” (Herbert 9). These
rugs are a prime example of functional art, for not only are they utilitarian,
but they are works of art as well, “fascinating in their richness of design,
their symbolism, their imagination and their delight in colour” (Liebetrau 7).
Because wool and cotton disintegrate over time, older rugs are quite rare. An
exception to this is the oldest rug of Persian design known to exist, which
dates to the 5th century BCE and was found in Siberia (Ettinghauser 402).
Oriental carpets were being imported to Europe by at least the fourteen
century, when they start to appear in European paintings.
Oriental rugs are classified by place of origin, the five groups being Iranian
(Persian), Turkoman, Caucasian (Russian), Turkish (Anatolian) and the
Indian/Pakistani/Chinese group (Liebetrau 11). While some rugs are created in
village workshops, others are woven by nomads, almost exclusively by women and
children. Often, the designs they use have been learned from their mothers, or
are traditional forms unique to the tribe (Herbert 15). As Marika Sardar
writes on the Heilbrunn Timeline of history:
While patterns were popular over wide geographical areas or were sent from
court workshops to provincial production centers, each region had a
characteristic style of weaving that remained the same over time. In Persia,
for instance, an asymmetrical knot was most often used, and in Turkey a
symmetrical one. Egyptian carpets are always fully wool, and Indian ones are
recognized by their distinctive red hue.
Rugs are made from wool, cotton, and silk. Wool must be carded and spun
before it is dyed. Dyes were traditionally extracted from plants, roots and
insects which were readily available. Madder Red came from the root of the
madder plant, and cochineal red from the bodies of the cochineal insect.
Yellow dye was obtained from pomegranate peel, brown from walnut shells or oak
bark, blue from the indigo plant, and orange from henna leaves (Herbert22).
The meanings attached to colors vary by geographical areas. Author Liebetrau
tells us:
To Chinese, Iranians and Indians white is the colour of grief, where the West
uses black. To the Iranian, blue is the colour of heaven. In Mongolia, blue
stands for authority and power, red for wealth and joy. In China, yellow was
the emperor’s colour, in which he dressed (14).
It would be impossible to describe all of the design variations of Oriental
rugs. To simplify, we can describe the most common designs, patterns and
motifs. In general, a rug may be considered in two main parts: the field, or
ground and the borders, which frame the interior (Herbert 25). Figure 1 is a
diagram that roughly depicts the main sections of an Oriental rug. The most
obvious design element usually seen in non-figurative rug types is symmetry.
It is very common for rugs to be symmetrical lengthwise, and many also display
symmetry when mirrored end to end.
Designs are further divided into two categories, curvilinear and rectilinear,
and both of these categories are classified as one of four types: medallion,
repeated motifs, all-over, and prayer. Rugs usually have from three to seven
borders. Figure 2 shows a rectilinear design on the left, and a curvilinear
design on the right.
The rugs in Figure 2 serve as an example of the use of line, both curved and
straight, and the effect this has on the overall appearance and character of a
rug. Note that both of these rugs have the center medallion, located in the
middle of the field, and the elaborate borders. Most Oriental rugs are
rectangular in shape.
The field area of a rug may contain repeating designs as decoration. As Fabio
Formenton writes, “the boteh, known as the almond or Kashmir design, is one of
the most widely used motifs in Oriental carpets. Its shape is that of a drop
of water with the upper part turned to one side” (69). This looks rather like
the paisley motif, but is thought to be based on the shape of a cypress tree
rather than a palm frond.
Another common motif is the gul, which means rose. Formenton says that “the
gul is produced in different ways according to the place where the carpet is
made” (69). According to author Murray Eiland, the Herati pattern is the most
widely used of all motifs (11). As Eiland describes it, “the design consists
of a lozenge, around which are arranged four “fish” or lancet-shaped leaves,
and this is repeated in the same scale throughout the carpet” (11).
The so-called all-over design does not use repetition in its design; instead,
it exhibits one large, over-all design. Prayer rugs are easily identified, as
they have their own unique layout, as shown in Figure 3.
Repetition is evident in the borders of Oriental rugs. Major borders (Figure
4) often use designs such as the Herati, cartouche, and boteh, as well as
geometric, stylized rosettes and leaves. Minor borders (Figure 5) patterns
include “zig-zag, reciprocal, running dog, S-pattern, meandering vine and
flower, star” (Herbert 34).
Although some try to attach meaning and myth to symbols that appear on rugs,
the artists choose motifs that result in “beauty through symmetry and harmony,
and nothing more” (Liebetrau 24). Often, myth and symbolism is invoked as a
means to add to a rug’s mystique, not to mention is price. However, this is
completely unnecessary, as these rugs stand on their own as works of art, and
need no added meaning to make them important.
Oriental rugs have a long and colorful history, and they continue to evolve
and develop. Although it takes no special training in art to appreciate their
beauty and variety, the classic elements of design are all present in this art
form. Oriental rugs combine beauty with usefulness in a most pleasing way.
Works Cited:
Eiland, Murray L. Oriental Rugs. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1976.
Ettinghausen, Richard. The Metropolitan Museum of Arts Bulletin. Volume
XXVIII, Number 10. June 1970. Online. Accessed 9 Dec 2014.
Formenton, Fabio. Oriental Rugs and Carpets. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1972.
Herbert, Janice Summers. Oriental Rugs: The Illustrated Handbook for Buyers
and Collectors. New York: Macmillan, 1982.
Liebetrau, Preben. Oriental Rugs in Colour. New York" Macmillan, 1982.
Sardar, Marika. "Carpets from the Islamic World, 1600–1800". In Heilbrunn
Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/crpt/hd_crpt.htm (October 2003) Accessed 9
Dec 2014.
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#yiv2041198961ygrp-vital ul li:last-child {border-right:none !important;}-->Re: [FairfieldLife] The Art of Oriental Carpets [1 Attachment]
Share Long sharelon...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] Thu, 11 Dec 2014 09:37:36 -0800
