More information
January 22, 2006: Annual Dinner: Greens Restaurant
More information
February 8, 2006: AN INTRODUCTION TO IMPERIAL MING CARPETS: A Talk by Michael Franses (The Textile Gallery, London)
More information
February 13, 2006: TURKMEN OF THE MIDDLE AMU DARYA:
The Weavings of the Ersari and Other Tribal Beauties. Erik Risman
More information
April 19, 2006: Scientific Techniques in Oriental Carpet Studies. Dr. Jurg Rageth at the Sandra Whitman Gallery
More information
May 6, 2006: DeYoung Museum Gallery Tour Walk-Through of the Textile Galleries and the New Textile Study Center by Diane Mott, Curator of Textiles and Carpets, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Golden Gate Park
June 4, 2006: ANNUAL (LATE) SPRING GATHERING AT JIM DIXON’S HOUSE IN OCCIDENTAL
September 28, 2006: Dragon Rugs of the Caucasus: Their Relationship and Context to Certain Persian Classical Rugs by Paul Ramsey
October 24th, 2006: TRIBAL BAGS FROM SOUTH PERSIA by Michael Rothberg
Thursday November 30, 2006: A visit to the Photo Studios of Don Tuttle in Emeryville
SUNDAY JANUARY 21 2007.......- SFBARS ANNUAL DINNER
Tuesday, February 6th, 2007-beginning at 6pm. Gallery Talk By Sandra Whitman, The Origins of the Tiger Design in Carpets To Accompany her exhibition: "Symbols of Power, Tiger Designs in Chinese and Tibetan Rugs."
Sunday February 11th, at 2 PM, Nick Wright, "Tibetan Rugs" at Sandra Whitman's Gallery 361 Oak street, San Francisco
February 12th, 2007, Lecture and show and Tell by Dr. Ahmet Birbilen, "Carpet Fakes, Forgeries and Frauds, and How to Spot Them", at Fort Mason, Building C, Room 205
MAY 16 , 2007, INDENTIFYING ARMENIAN RUGS WITHOUT INSCRIPTIONS, A slide lecture by James Allen
Annual meeting at Jim Dixon's in June
July 17-Sept 23 An exhibit of Afghan War rugs at The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles from the collection of long time SFBARS Member Pat Markovich opened July 17th and will run until September 23.
New Acquisitions, Old Favorites and Mystery Rugs:
Members’ Show and Tell Night
November 14th, 2008, 6:30-9:00 pm
Emmet Eiland Gallery
More information
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JANUARY MEETING
THE ORIGIN OF THE CHINTAMANI MOTIF AND ITS USES
IN OTTOMAN ART AND CARPETS
by
Dr. Sumiyo Okumura
Date: Thursday January 5th, 2006 Place: Tony Kitz Oriental Carpet Gallery 2843 Clay Street, San Francisco
The term "chintamani" derives from the Sanskrit word chintamani which comes from esoteric Buddhist philosophy. It means the treasure ball or the wish-granting jewel. It is also the name of the well-known Ottoman three dots and stripes motif. It appears that this came into Turkey with the Turkic peoples who brought their own cultures based on Buddhism, Shamanism, and Manism when they migrated from Central Asia to Anatolia. In the Inner Asian cultures, patterned animal skins like the tiger and leopard were representations of courage and strength and were important symbols for the rulers. It is possible to think that the Chintamani motif in the beginning emerged from Buddhist culture and philosophy but later was adapted by the Turks who mixed it with the animal skin motifs as symbols of power. In the Ottoman period these motifs became very popular as representations of power and royalty on textiles, carpets and in all other Ottoman arts. In time, the Chintamani motif lost its connotation of power and royalty and became just a decorative design. Today it is used with favor as one of the most popular traditional Turkish design motifs.
Peter Poullada
About the Speaker:
Dr. Okumura is an Istanbul-based Art Historian who has been studying and publishing scholarly research on Ottoman Art History since 1988. She received her B.A. in Ottoman History and Turkish languages from Doshisha University in Japan in 1992, studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Marmara Univeristy in Istanbul from 1995 to 1998 and received her Ph.D from Marmara University in 2003, where she wrote her Dissertation on "The Influence of Turkish Culture on Mamluke Carpets". She has worked in the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, at the Textile Department of the Topkapi Palace Museum under Prof. Hulya Tezcan and curated the exhibition on "Turkish Art through the Eyes of Japanese Women" at the Yildiz Palace in Istanbul in July 2005. She has written extensively on the topic of Turkish Art and especially Ottoman Carpets and Textiles including articles in Oriental Carpets and Textile Studies volumes VI and VII. She gave a similar lecture on the Chintamani motif to the Ninth ICOC in Milan in September 1999 and on Mamluke Carpets at the Tenth ICOC in Washington D.C. in April 2003.
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ANNUAL DINNER
The SFBARS Annual Dinner returns to Greens Restaurant at Fort Mason in San Francisco, January 22nd, 2006. Reception will begin at 6 PM and dinner will be served at 7 PM. Tickets to the event are $45 per person payable to SFBARS. Please send your checks to: Marcia Roberts, Membership Director, 4596 Deercreek Lane, Concord, CA 94521
As previously announced, at this year’s dinner instead of featuring a speaker we are inaugurating a silent auction of pieces from the collections of past president John Sommers and longtime member and former treasurer Jo Stubblebine. Together these auction items comprise an unusually eclectic collection, with pieces from almost every continent, and they will be available exclusively at the annual dinners for members and their guests. This will be a rare opportunity to acquire interesting pieces. Proceeds will go to support future SFBARS activities.
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AN INTRODUCTION TO IMPERIAL MING CARPETS:
A Talk by
Michael Franses
(The Textile Gallery, London)
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Reception 6:30, Talk 7-8 PM
de Young Museum, San Francisco
Koret Auditorium
Co-Sponsored by The Textile Department of the M. H. deYoung Memorial Museum, TAC (The Textile Arts Council of the deYoung), and SFBARS.
The knotted pile carpet has been part of Chinese culture for at least two thousand years, yet probably fewer than six hundred Chinese carpets survive today from the so-called 'classical' period, 1400-1750. Because of their scarcity they remain virtually unknown to all but a relatively small number of people. Until recently it was believed that most of the
surviving classical Chinese carpets remained in western institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Textile Museum in Washington DC and a few other museums, as well as a number of private collections in Europe and the US.
Possibly the most important group is comprised of carpets that were made, probably in Beijing, in the sixteenth century specifically for the Royal Palaces. Some sixteen examples survive in western collections, along with a number of fragments. These carpets have a particularly heavy weave - knotted with a pile of hairy sheep wool that resembles camel hair, and mostly on silk warps with cotton wefts - and a specific range of designs. The first known depiction of such a carpet appears in a portrait of the Hongwu emperor (r. 1368-1398): the field design is composed of a narrow central band divided into square compartments, each square having a central floral medallion and corner pieces. Many others are shown in Imperial paintings, one of the most famous of which is a portrait of the young Kangxi emperor (r. 1661-1722) seated at his writing desk. Shown on the floor is a typical red ground Ming carpet with dragons.
After the Forbidden City was occupied by the foreign powers in 1900, the entire palace was photographed by command of the Japanese Royal Family. Many of these photographs show the Ming carpets covering the floors of the Imperial Halls. In later photographs, the Ming carpets can only be seen on the raised throne platforms, and the floors are bare. In 2000, the speaker went to Beijing in search of the Imperial Ming carpets. A number of leads suggested that they might be in the upper floor of a storeroom, once Kangxi's Imperial Kitchen, which was sealed in the 1920s. The director granted permission for the seals to be broken and some forty Imperial Ming carpets that had been placed there eighty years before were re-discovered. As the wraps on each were removed they were re-awoken like sleeping beauties.
The Palace Museum in Beijing has more than a hundred carpets dating from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries in its collection, including about sixty that were made before 1750 and fall within the classical period. The brightness, immense scale and monumentality of their designs would have enhanced the splendour of the palace when they were in their
original positions.
Michael Franses is currently working with curators at the Palace Museum on a book that will bring together all the known Ming Imperial Palace carpets. He will present images of many of these and discuss the various types and designs.
(The talk will be held in the Koret Auditorium of the Museum. Attendees should enter through the Education Entrance on the Concourse level on the East side of the building near the tower. The Museum advises parking on JFK and walking through the "Garden of Enchantment" as the garage will be closed.)
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On February 8th under the joint sponsorship of SFBARS, the Friends of Asian Art, the Textile Department of the deYoung Museum and TAC (Textile Arts Council), Michael Franses presented an illustrated talk on the Imperial Ming carpets reposing in the Palace Museum, Beijing. The talk was given at the Koret auditorium of the de Young Museum.
The most spectacular of these carpets are the group known as the large knot carpets. These carpets have been known in the west since the Boxer Rebellion, when J. P. Morgan purchased one de-accessioned by the Imperial family. In the 70s several carpets of this group came on the market via Edelmann Galleries and in the 90s the PRC sold several through Christie’s New York. Mr. Franses, working with the staff of the Palace Museum gained access to a storeroom sealed in the 1920s. The room contained a large quantity of these rugs. Mr. Franses showed images of some of these rugs which were as large as 50' x 50' and in a variety of unknown designs to date. Mr. Franses was able to relate some of these carpets and those in the West to specific locations within the various Palaces based upon their irregular shapes.
Of particular interest was a carpet which had brilliant red sections where furniture had sat, indicating that the carpets were originally crimson and had oxidized when exposed to light and air. When viewed as red rugs and considering the newly disclosed designs, it appears possible to relate some of these rugs to rugs depicted in portraits of the Imperial family.
In addition to the large knot carpets Mr. Franses discussed other Ming carpet patterns and showed images of floral and geometric patterns. There is a large group of floral Ming carpets in the Palace Museum which are not generally known in the West and which should tie Chinese carpets to western carpet traditions of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Somewhere between 120 and 150 people attended the talk making it probably the most widely attended museum talk in the Museum’s history. SFBARS was the instigator of the talk and the joint sponsorship. It is hoped that this will be the first of many jointly sponsored talks between various entities and organizations with overlapping interests.
Sandra Whitman
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FEBRUARY MEETING
TURKMEN OF THE MIDDLE AMU DARYA:
The Weavings of the Ersari and Other Tribal Beauties. Erik Risman
As part of SFBARS ongoing exploration of rapidly developing research in the area of Central Asian tribal weaving we present a more detailed look at the fascinating, confusing and stylistically eclectic weavings from the Turkmen tribes of the Middle Amu Darya (the Oxus River). These Turkmen inhabited a strip of land 20-30 miles wide and 200 miles long along the middle reaches of the river, south from the town of Chardjui (now in Uzbekistan) up river to the river crossing at Kelif in Northern Afghanistan.
For many years the weavings from this region have presented a puzzle to carpet reseachers because of their lack of consistency and seemingly heterogeneous use of patterns, colors and palates. They seem to violate evey rule of tribal attribution that has been built up over decades of research into Turkmen carpets. As a result the rug trade terms used to describe these weavings, either "Ersari" or "Beshir", have been known to be inadequate and probably misleading. The leading Russsian scholars like Moshkova, Prikulieva, and Elena Tsareva have always tried to avoid using the label "Ersari" and have been propounding the term "Middle Amu Darya" for these weavings, recognizing that we do not know exactly which tribes actually wove all these pieces. More recently researchers and collectors have begun trying to categorize and sort out the confusing diversity of these Turkmen weavings and even suggest that some of them are of non-Turkmen origins, perhaps Uzbek, Kirghiz and even other Central Asian tribal groups.
As a collector of these Middle Amu Darya weavings I have been convinced for some time that it would be useful to look more closely at the Russian ethnographic literature on the region and to propose a basic distinction between weavings from the left or southern bank of the river from those of the right or northern bank. Thus the regional terms like Beshir, Burdalyk and Khojambas (all names of districts and towns on the right bank) could be attached to one group of these weavings. In turn it is undoubtedly the case that more than 30 different Turkmen tribes have inhabited the left bank since the mid 17th century and by no means were the Ersari the only ones found along the river. The process of piecing together the tribal ethno-history of this fascinating region and concurrently sorting, analyzing and categorizing the weavings that up to now have been so carelessly mis-labeled "Ersari" is proceeding, and Erik Risman is one of the most dedicated collectors and researchers in this effort. In his talk Erik will show slides of some of his own Middle Amu Darya Turkmen weavings as well as others he has found in his research from collections in the USA, England as well as museums like the Textile Museum, etc. He will try to lay out some of the main features of the Middle Amu Drya weaving group, both in terms of designs and technical characteristics and try to relate them to some of the basic history and ethnography of the region.
Eric’s talk will be followed by a SHOW and TELL of some of his pieces as well as a number from Peter Poullada's collection. SFBARS Members who have so-called "Ersari" or Beshir pieces or any Turkmen weaving that is a mystery to them are encouraged to bring them along. Keep in mind that generally any Turkmen piece that cannot be easily identified as belonging to one of the well-known tribal groups like Tekke, Salor, Saryk or Yomud gets labeled in the rug trade as "Ersari", so the confusion provides a lot of ground for discussion and study.
Peter Poullada
About the Speaker
Erik Risman is President of the Indianapolis Rug Society and has been an avid collector of Middle Amu Darya Turkmen weavings for a number of years. He has been active in organizing the ACOR conferences in Indianapolis in 2002, Seattle in 2004 and Boston 2006. He has been a speaker at both the 2002 and 2004 ACOR and is famous for his exhibitions of Turkmen weavings "From the Cedar Chest". More recently he gave talks on Middle Amu Darya Turkmen Carpets at the New England Rug Society in Boston. He is presently organizing a panel discussion on the subject for the Boston ACOR and jointly with Peter Poullada is engaged in an attempt to compile a comprehensive catalogue of all Middle Amu Darya tribal weavings in museum and private collections in the USA and Europe. Risman and Poullada hope to provide an initial overview of this research to the Istanbul ICOC in March 2007 which will hopefully emerge as a fully illustrated catalogue.
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by
Wednesday April 19th,
Sandra Whitman Gallery,
361 Oak Street,
tel 415-437-2402
Continuing the SFBARS exploration of developing research and new methodologies in carpet studies we are pleased to bring the leading researcher in the field of scientific tools used to determine the age of textiles and carpets. "How old is it?" This always seems a pressing question yet one whose answer is difficult to verify scientifically. Now with the latest research methodologies scholars like Dr. Rageth are beginning to show that we might actually be able to determine with some accuracy the age of our carpets.
Most collectors have developed their own, deeply felt but largely unscientific methods for determining the age of a carpet. Yet their true age is extremely difficult to determine and usually involves no more than passing along what the previous owner, or a dealer, has suggested. Depending on the type of carpet, we are usually satisfied with estimating which century it might be from: for Anatolian weavings, anywhere from 16th to 19th, for Kilims and Persian carpets, 19th or 20th. Only with Turkmen carpets have the Turkomaniacs managed to convince us that they can tell if it is pre-1750, late 18th century, early 19th century, first half 19th, mid 19th century or late 19th century.
And then there are those who seem happy to throw out specific dates: the phrase, circa 1875, seems to be a favorite among many Turkmen dealers and self-proclaimed “experts".
Many of the beliefs about Central Asian carpet dating are based on the approximate dates when synthetic dyes were introduced to the Bukharan Khanate. But even that supposed watershed date (circa 1875) is highly suspect. There are a number of supposedly earlier carpets with some use of aniline dyes, just as there are many Turkmen carpets from the early 20th century with all-vegetal or insect dyes. Typically collectors’ feelings about the age of their pieces have also been influenced by such qualitative variables as “handle", "dryness", or visual clues based on design evolution or other art historical methods.
Dr. Rageth will help us explore several alternative methods to these “fuzzy logic” attempts at dating. Admitedly, some of these methords are still controversial, having been greeted by some collectors and scholars with scepticism. But this is part of what makes the topic interesting and worthy of our attention.
Dr. Rageth is one of the pioneers in applying the scientific tools of radio carbon dating (C-14). His research has shown that this technique, while not to be relied on exclusively, can add significant insights when used in combination with other less evidence-based techniques and with art-historical approaches. Included in his talk will be some description and discussion of the scientific identification of insect dyes and the way they have been used by the Turkmen weavers of Central Asia. He will show how the use of insect dyes changed over time and how these natural materials were eventually replaced by synthetic alternatives.
We look forward to a stimulating and educational talk that will expand our horizons in the field of carpet studies in the 21st century.
Show and Tell: Dr. Rageth is especially interested in examples of very old Turkmen carpets and Turkish kilims.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Jurg Rageth is head of the Basel, Switzerland Rug society, the "Freunde des Orientteppichs". Based in the nearby town of Riehen, he has been involved in the field of radiocarbon dating since 1995. He has published several articles on this subject and has provided dates to a number of the carpets now found in the deYoung Museum collection. His presentation to SFBARS represents part of his recent research for a forthcoming publication on Turkmen carpets of Central Asia. He has organized several carpet and textile symposia for the Basel Rug Society which have been published under his imprint.
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Saturday May 6th
On May 6th Diane Mott, Curator of Textiles and Carpets for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, will lead us on a walk-through of the Textile Gallery at the brand new de Young museum. Tour members will be treated to a view of the opening exhibition, which features a cross-section of the museum’s most outstanding textiles. In addition she will take SFBARS members backstage into the rest of the textile complex. This includes a Textile Education Gallery, open to the public and containing a selection of study textiles related to those on view in the main gallery; the Textile Study Room, stocked with a growing library of books and reference journals on textiles and carpets, which will be open by appointment for serious research and education; state-of-the-art conservation laboratories; and two costume and textile storage areas. NOTE: Due to the limited space in the galleries this tour will be limited to 25 participants. Reservations are required and will be taken on a first come, first served basis, only up to the 21st of April. All reservations should be made with SFBARS Membership Director, Marcia Roberts, tel. 415-773-5562.
For those of you who are members of the Fine Arts Museums or the de Young, please bring along your membership cards to be shown at the ticket counter. Anyone who is not a museum member will need to purchase a one day entrance ticket prior to starting the Tour. Non-museum members can purchase their tickets online through the museum's website, www.thinker.org. Go to "De Young", then "Visit the Museum", then "Tickets". When you make your reservation with Marcia Roberts, please inform her whether or not you are a member of the Museum.
Those attending should meet inside near the LCD monitors on the east wall of the museum, across from the ticket counter. The tour will last an hour and a half to two hours. Afterward SFBARS members are free to wander the rest of the museum or to enjoy lunch at the museum café overlooking the sculpture garden.
Parking. SFBARS members are advised to arrive early and park in the underground public parking garage beneath the museum. It is accessible from Fulton Street at 10th Avenue.
IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THIS EVENT PLEASE REMEMBER TO RESERVE YOUR SLOT SOON. THIS WILL BE THE LAST ANNOUNCEMENT PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE OF APRIL 21
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SUNDAY, June 4
Last year people particularly enjoyed a grouup of Turkish rugs Jim brought out of storage. This year expect to see a similar but different group of wonderful Village rugs.
The event includes a light buffet luncheon. Please be prepared to remove shoes upon entering the house--you might want to bring slippers or an extra pair of socks. A professional landscaper, Jim also has a luxurious garden (including several small lakes) that complements his rugs in intriguing ways. Hope to see all of you there!
For Directions consult your newsletter.
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Their Relationship and Context to Certain Persian Classical Rugs
by
Thursday, September 28th,2006 at Krimsa gallery:
2190 Union Street
6:30 PM Reception
In general, the earlier authors have attributed the dragon rugs to the
Caucasus. While Christopher Alexander speculated that they came from eastern
Turkey, and John Wertime and Richard Wright postulated these rugs were woven
in north-west Iran, they did so with some reasoning but little evidence. The
dragon rugs in fact are part of other contemporaneous weaving traditions in
Iran, and fit within this context based on design structure and weaving
technique. Further, historical evidence suggests that while these rugs were
woven as a part of other traditions in Iran, that it is likely that they
were not woven within what is now geographically Iran but rather in nearby
areas then under the suzerainty of Iran - likely Karabagh or adjacent areas
north of the Araxes River.
Two groups of Iranian rugs of the 16th through 18th Centuries had a
lattice-work pattern as their principal distinguishing characteristic. They
are the Œvase carpets,¹ thought to from the Kirman area, and the Khorasan
lattice carpets from northeast Iran. There were other characteristics as
well, but the main one- this lattice system was originally based on the
ogival form, evident in the vase carpets but more difficult to see in the
Khorasan rugs. It is also difficult to ascertain the ogival form within the
lattice system of the dragon rugs, but a careful analysis yields this
result. This similarity between these three groups is reinforced by other
design elements, in particular a vocabulary of grand palmettes which they
all share.
In weaving style, the highly depressed warps of the vase carpets and those
of the dragon rugs is similar, but what makes their structure unmistakably
close is the use of a wefting peculiarity - the use of a heavy, corded weft
used at intervals. Where this weft-cord is used, there is no simultaneous,
sinuous or meandering weft, with a resulting distinctive wear pattern on the
surface of the carpet.
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Paul Ramsey is a principal in Shaver-Ramsey in Denver, as well as one in
KRIMSA in San Francisco. He has lectured widely and has made presentations
at various conferences, including ICOC and ACOR. He was a founder of ACOR,
and served as its first president after incorporation. He teaches a yearly
short course on rugs, The Magic Carpet Ride, and collects rugs of Daghestan,
and small domestic embroideries of Turkmen and related groups. He resides in
Denver and San Francisco.
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Tuesday, October 24th, 2006
For our second event of the Fall Season SFBARS is pleased to bring you one of the Bay Area’s most distinguished collectors, Michael Rothberg. Michael will be leading an expert panel of speakers and commentators including Peter Pap and Peter Poullada in an evening of exploration of the wonders of the weavings of the Zagros Mountain tribes of Iran.
Many of us are familiar with the names Bakhtiyari, Qashqa’i, Khamseh and Luri, but how confident are we that we know what differentiates their weavings? Drawing on Rothberg's own fine collection as well as selected pieces from Peter Pap and others, we will exhibit and discuss the utilitarian yet magnificent weavings known as khordjin, chanteh and mafrash from the tribes of Southern and Western Persia.
Attendees are welcome to bring in their favorite South Persian bagface ( one per person please). Maps of the Persian tribal areas will be distributed so that everyone can follow the discussion. Perhaps by the end of the evening we will be able to tell a Boyr Ahmadi from a Kuh Giluye, a Lur-i Buzurg from a Mamasani. Maybe even a Khamseh from Qash'qai.
Michael Rothberg, who will be our leading guide in this exploration of Zagros mountain tribal weavings, offers the following summary of his presentation:
We will focus on weavings from the Qashqa’i and Khamseh Confederations, as well as those of the Lurs & Bakhtiari. (Afshar work from Kirman Province, though also from South Persia, will not be included).
The familiar image of the South Persian saddle bag is that of a large, diamond-shaped medallion which is usually surrounded my four smaller diamonds in the corners of the bag. Many of these bags are extraordinary in their quality of color, wool and weave, and accordingly, have long been considered the gold standard of the genre by dealers and collectors (with prices to match). But there is more to the world of South Persian design than this. On hand will be some 30 examples of the diversity (and quality) of design of a variety of (mostly) nomadic objects:
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Michael Rothberg began collecting tribal rugs and trappings in 1978, focusing initially on Turkmen and Baluch weavings. In the early 80s he began to collect Persian tribal material, including Kurd, Shah Sevan, "Varamin", and Afshar. To date, Michael has given a talk at every A.C.O.R conference (prior to 2006). Ten years ago, at A.C.O.R Santa Monica, he and Brian Morehouse staged and exhibit of over one hundred 19th century bags, the most extensive exhibition of old pieces to date. Michael continues to write occasional reviews and essays for HALI. He resides in Mill Valley with his wife, Kathryn Amy, who is also a tribal rug enthusiast.
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A visit to the Photo Studios of Don Tuttle in Emeryville
Thursday November 30, 2006
Location: 1456 63rd Street at Hollis, Emeryville
Directions: From Hwy.80 exit at Ashby, then go up Ashby to Hollis Drive and turn right on Hollis to 63rd. Any problems finding the Studio please call Don at 510-547-8509.
Parking spaces should be available on 63rd street below Hollis.
Note: Due to temperature controls in the Studio please be ready to dress warmly in case of cool weather.
For our Post-Thanksgiving SFBARS event we have organized a hands-on tour and workshop at the state of the art working Studio of Carpet Photo Maestro Don Tuttle. Don is well-known in both the Bay Area and International rug community as the Photographer to the (Carpet) stars. His work is seen constantly in Hali and other magazines and publications. Many of the best carpet catalogues have presented his work including the famous Ikat catalogue by Fitzgibbon and Hale of the Guido Goldman Collection of Uzbek silk costumes. In addition to being a sought-after photographer, Don is also just a really nice guy, as anyone who knows him will attest. He comes from a typical eclectic Bay Area background but has focused for the last twenty years on his passion for taking exquisite photos of textiles, carpets and other art.
The reception in Don’s studio will begin by serving light snacks and wine. Then we will clear the way for a brief talk by Don on the topic of Why and How to Photograph your Carpet Collection. This will be followed by an interactive question and answer session where Don will give attendees pointers on such vital topics as:
- How to use that digital camera you bought last Xmas but never used
In addition Don will let us climb around on his equipment and demonstrate some shoots for us using different cameras. He will then show us how to use the computer to achieve the differences in product. In short, we can look forward to an informative, hands-on and fun evening.
For those who are interested, after the talk, my wife and I will proceed to La Mediterranee Restaurant on College Avenue in Berkeley for a Levantine dinner. Any who wish to join us will be welcome. Since the restaurant does not take reservations we will be seating ourselves.
Looking forward to seeing you on November 30th
Peter Poullada
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SUNDAY JANUARY 21 2007.......- SFBARS ANNUAL DINNER
Featuring: The second annual SFBARS silent auction: Treasures from the John and Donna Sommer Collection: Greens Restaurant--Fort Mason, San Francisco.
6-9 PM: Invitations to follow: Cost $45 per person, $80 for two
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Gallery Talk Symbols of
Power, Tiger Designs in Chinese and Tibetan Rugs.
Tuesday, February 6th, 2007-beginning at 6pm.
Location: Sandra Whitman Antique & Old Chinese Rugs
Sandra has written the following:
This exhibit is a rare and beautiful collection of rugs inspired by
the tiger, a symbol of power and protection. The rugs are divided
into two groups, those woven in China and those woven in Tibet. Both
cultures have a lengthy tradition of using tiger pelts or
representations of tiger pelts to symbolize the power of the
individual portrayed with or owning the pelt, as in the case of the
Emperor to his subjects or the Lama to his adherents.
Sandra will have an Opening Reception of the Exhibit on January 31st
from 5-9 pm. An RSVP to the telephone number above would be
appreciated for both the Reception and the Gallery Talk.
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LECTURE
ON TIBETAN RUGS
Speaker: Nick Wright
Nick is a retired epidemiologist who fell in love with rugs after
finding a big Heriz that had been discarded on the curb in New York
City in 1960. Later in Lahore he bought three Ersari rugs for the
floor of a house in Colombo. By 1981 he was dealing on the side to
support his "habit." He saw his first Tibetan rug in 1984 in
Katmandu.
Although the first exhibit of Tibetan rugs was held at the
Textile Museum that year, most pieces were new to the market and there
were no established collectors. Pilgrims from Tibet to India carried
rugs to sell off their backs. Most pieces were late, probably
1920-1950, with synthetic dyes, exuberant color palettes and Sinicized
designs. However, as more and different types of rugs emerged from
Tibet, including some dramatic early fragments of Central Asian and
Turkic origin, it became clear that the pieces that came to market in
the middle 1980's did not present the full picture of historic rug
production in Tibet.
After twenty years of exposure to Tibetan
weavings, mostly in Katmandu but also in the Mustang Valley and Tibet,
Nick Wright feels he knows less than he thought he knew in 1985. He
has written about Tibetan weavings in the Oriental Rug Review, did a
typological essay for the Asia Pacific Museum in Pasadena 1992
catalogue of the Rutherford Collection, and gave papers at the 1990
and 1999 ICOC conferences in San Francisco and Milan. Nick will bring
us up to date on his latest thoughts on this group of fascinating but
not that well understood type of weavings.
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Oriental Carpet Fakes, Forgeries and Frauds, and How to Spot Them
February 12th, 2007 at Fort Mason, Building C, Room 205
About our speaker:
Dr. Ahmet Birbilen is an enthusiastic promoter of the appreciation of
Oriental rugs and textiles. He has a degree from Ankara's Gazi
University in business, but by the early 1980's he had embarked on his
long love affair with Oriental carpets.
Some early travels with field
researchers from Ankara University's Folk Art Department were followed
by eleven years owning a carpet store. During the same period he also
started an adventure travel business. Today he deals in rugs and
textiles privately as well as arranges cultural and historical
adventure tours in Turkey. he has been a participant and speaker at
numerous international rug conferences in Europe and America.
He tells us:
"With the demand by many collectors for old and antique rugs today,
there is not always a ready supply. In addition, real antique rugs
are become increasingly priced out of the affordable market. Both of
these conditions have not only generated new rug production, with
reproductions of old motifs woven with great skill and with natural
dyes, but also a new industry in purposely creating fakes and
forgeries of antique rugs and kilims. Many of the techniques that are
used include unraveling old kilims and re-weaving the yarns into pile
rugs, purposely buffing and wearing down pile on new carpets, plus
many more methods which can even delude the experts."
Our speaker will tell us about these unfortunate processes designed to
fool the unwary and how to detect them. He will show us not only
slides but also will bring examples of some fakes so that we may
examine them.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
A slide lecture by James Allen
MAY 16 , 2007
AT
SIMONIAN ORIENTAL RUGS
Reception and refreshments 6:30pm, lecture to commence at 7:30
Directions: check the directions and maps at Simonian’s web site @ simonian oriental rugs.com.
Take Hwy 101 to the Peninsula Ave exit, go west on Peninsula to Humboldt st., then turn and drive north on Humboldt to Bayswater, go right until it hits North Amphlet then right until you see Simonian on the right hand side. There is limited Parking right in front of the Gallery and street parking along Amphlet.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Jim Allen is a rug collector from Chattanooga Tennessee. He received his BS degree from the Univ. of Tennessee in 1973 in biology. Jim has collected oriental carpets since 1978 and written several articles for Hali Magazine, Ghereh, and for Oriental Carpet and Textile Studies. He was the first to scientifically date a Turkmen weaving to the 17th century, using carbon-14 analysis. He has lectured at the ICOC in Philadelphia and was a guest of the Turkmenbashi, the former supreme leader of Turkmentistan. Jim sells rugs and publishes short articles on his website www.a-bey.com
About the Slide Talk:
Jim’s goal is to increase the reservoir of acknowledged Armenian carpets by drawing on recently published data, his own collection and many years of expertise. His talk will relate minimalist Christian crosses with Armenian weavings. These unobtrusive Christian symbols, perhaps subconsciously placed, were often added to weavings made by Armenians. Such rugs were mostly made for the markets but some were made for personal use.
About Simonian Gallery:
The title of Jim’s talk was “Armenian Rugs Without Inscriptions.” Noting that the current category of collectable Armenian rugs consists mainly of rugs inscribed with Armenian writing and dates, Jim said that, largely through the work of the ARS, the rug world is now coming to terms with the important role Armenians have played in rug culture and rug weaving through the ages. The thesis of his talk was that “it is time to expand the definition of Armenian rugs to include those weavings that have symbolic, technical, or geographical associations with Armenia expatriate Armenians.”
After going over basic facts about Armenia -- its strategic location between Europe and Asia and early embrace of Christianity (301 A.D.) -- Jim described how he saw “a symbolic association between some Caucasian weavings containing small Christian crosses worked skillfully into their designs and an Armenian provenance.” He defined a “minimalist Christian cross” as “one that is elongated by a single additional knot towards the weaving’s bottom, metaphorically towards the Earth, like the true cross.” Rather than being comprised of five knots, these elongated crosses are made of six knots, and might indicate the weaver's desire to represent herself as a Christian. Jim further described Caucasian rug designs as “simple yet psychologically profound,” noting that “the contribution of Armenian artisans through the centuries to the great reservoir of Caucasian rug designs only recently is becoming adequately appreciated.”
Jim referred to demographic data on the populations of the Caucasus Mountains given in an article written by Murray Eiland. This data shows there were far more Armenians in the Karabagh region in the nineteenth century than any other ethnic group. Beyond statistics, Jim looked for clues to the weaver’s reasons for intentionally putting crosses in her rugs. He showed slides of a few rugs he had examined, including two Shirvans and a Lori Pambak rug, all nineteenth century weavings. He also discussed the similarities between some rug designs and the carvings on old Armenian churches, showing photographs of carvings from Dr. Lucy Der Manuelian's article in Weavers, Merchants and Kings.
Jim spent a great deal of time explaining his analysis of one particular Lori Pambak rug, which he suspects was an Armenian wedding rug. He based this opinion on the Christian crosses, the Tree of Life design (which he thought might represent two family trees), and the stylized birds, animals, pomegranates, and sheepskins, which he maintained gave information about the “two families along with significant ecclesiastical symbols and designs.” Also striking was the similarity of this design to one of the church carvings he had shown us. His fascinating analysis of this rug, with birds representing the two lovers who first notice each other (shown at the bottom of the rug), fall in love (as the two birds gaze at each other in the lower portions of the upper quadrants of the rug), and eventually marry (shown by the two lovebirds kissing atop the Tree of Life) made for a wonderful narrative, and was an excellent example of possible meanings subtly woven into a rug.
A lively show-and-tell session followed the talk. A number of audience members had brought rugs to share, which were discussed and enjoyed by all. This was an interesting and enjoyable evening, and we hope the ARS and the SFBARS have occasion to meet together in the future.
Karleen Hall
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CARPET PALACE AND GARDENS
OCCIDENTAL , CA
SUNDAY JUNE 10, 2007
OPEN HOUSE to begin at 12;00 NOON
POTLUCK LUNCH PICNIC NOON TO 2:0 0PM
SHOW AND TELL FROM THE DIXON COLLECTION 2:00-4:00PM
Jim Dixon continues his hospitable tradition by inviting SFBARS Members and their Guests to his hilltop carpet palace for an afternoon of discovery and contemplation. In the classical traditions of Persia and Central Asia you can come and admire the gardens within and the gardens without..
In order to reduce the demands on Jim we are organizing the event this year as a PotLuck luncheon. Jim will provide paper and plastic picnic supplies, basic beverages and a big salad. Members are requested to bring savory or sweet foods: quiches, dips, Middle Eastern foods, finger foods, pasta salads, pies and other baked sweet and savory breads are encouraged. To coordinate the food we ask that you RSVP by calling Nancy Sheppard ( 415-315-8285) or send her an email at nashesf@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday June 6th.
SHOW AND TELL-Starting promptly at 2 PM Jim will be digging into his always tempting storerooms to show us a number of fascinating treasures. The theme this year will be Chinese carpets, carpets of East Turkestan and some Caucasian examples that show interesting similarities and comparisons in motif and design.
Visitors are also encouraged to wander the beautiful gardens that radiate around the house and down the hillside in a series of ( seven? ) terraces to ornamental ponds, very much in keeping with Chinese, Mughal and Persian garden traditions.
Hopefully the weather will cooperate and provide for a delightful Sunday afternoon of carpets, food and garden experiences.
For directions, please consult the newsletter.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&Michael Franses Speaks on Imperial Ming Carpets
Monday February 13
Krimsa Gallery
2190 Union St. San Francisco
tel 415-441-4321
Gather at 6:30 PM, Talk at 7 PM
Slide presentation and Show and Tell APRIL MEETING
Scientific Techniques in Oriental Carpet Studies
Dr. Jurg Rageth
Gather at 6:30, talk and slide presentation to begin at 7PM DeYoung Museum Gallery Tour Walk-Through of the Textile Galleries
and the New Textile Study Center
by
Diane Mott, Curator of Textiles and Carpets
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
De Young Museum, Golden Gate Park
San Francisco
Assemble at the East side door entrance at 9:15AM
Tour to start at 9:30 AM, finish at approx. 11:30 AM ANNUAL (LATE) SPRING GATHERING AT
JIM DIXON’S HOUSE IN OCCIDENTAL
NOON—6 PM Dragon Rugs of the Caucasus:
Paul Ramsey
San Francisco
7:15‹9:00 PM Talk
The dragon rugs of the Caucasus, in all their beauty and majesty, are poorly
understood. Various authors have suggested origins for these rugs, and those
speculations reflect the interest in these pieces - as well as our lack of
knowledge. This talk relates these dragon rugs to certain classical Iranian
rugs, and it is within this context that the picture becomes clearer. The
present approach attempts to do that.TRIBAL BAGS FROM SOUTH PERSIA
by
Michael Rothberg
An SFBARS Expert Panel Show and Tell
Peter Pap Oriental Rugs
470 Jackson Street, San Francisco
6:30PM reception
Show and Tell 7:15-9:00 PM
Public parking nearby on Jackson and Battery Streets
A wide-ranging discussion of (mostly) 19th century piled bags and trappings from Fars Province.
Chanteh (personal dowry bags)
Mafrash (bedding bag side panel)
Saddle covers
Tent Band PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR CARPETS
Everything you always wanted to know about photographing your rugs and textiles-But were afraid to ask!!
5:00 pm reception
5:45 -7:30 Presentation and Workshop
Corner of 63rd street and Hollis St.
- The pros and cons of digital versus single lens photography
- Color management, layout, format and lighting
- What is a JPEG? And how do I create and send them?
- Using and abusing Adobe Photoshop or other software programs
- How do I store and sort my carpet photo archive
- The magic of creating and printing: transparencies versus slides or prints
By Sandra Whitman
The Origins of the Tiger
Design in Carpets
To Accompany her exhibition:
361 Oak street, San Francisco, 94102
to RSVP all please call 415-861-4477
Sunday February 11th, at 2 PM
at Sandra Whitman's Gallery
361 Oak street, San Francisco LECTURE AND SHOW AND TELL
Reception beginning at 6:30, Talk to begin at 7:15.
Our speaker, Dr. Ahmet Birbilen, is a Turkey-based expert on the
subject. He will show us slides of examples of the new industry that
creates fakes and will also bring some examples for us to
see.INDENTIFYING ARMENIAN RUGS WITHOUT INSCRIPTIONS
939 Amphlet Blvd. San Mateo
tel: 650-343-0929
We are especially pleased to be organizing this event jointly with the Armenian Rug Society, now ably being led by Joe Bezdjian whose members are such loyal and strong supporters of SFBARS. Together we expect it to be a great event, and of course we can always look forward to the excellent food graciously provided by Levon Der Bedrossian.
How to identify Armenian carpets in the absence of clear indications like Armenian inscriptions in Caucasian weaving? It has been obvious to many that it could not be only those carpets with Armenian inscriptions that were woven by the Armenian people of the Caucasus.
Simonian was established in San Mateo in 1956 by Leo Simonian. The company has grown over the years and expanded into cleaning and conservation. Recently under the ownership of Joe Bezdjian it has expanded into a large exhibition space next door. Simonian has built a reputation as sellers of fine Caucasian, Persian, Kilims, tapestries and textiles including even Navajo rugs and blankets. Besides expert cleaning and restoration Simonian also provides appraisal services to its clients throughout the Bay Area.
