01 PAG ING 30-03-2012 11:40 Pagina 1 Reading Ghereh opens a window on the world of rugs. One of the few international magazines dedicated to textiles arts and the art of Oriental rugs, Ghereh gives a voice to many elements of these ancients arts. Elements of beauty, harmony and peace. 02-03 SOMMARIO ing 30-03-2012 11:41 Pagina 2 ISSUE N.50 INTERNATIONAL CARPET & TEXTILE REVIEW 67 TRANSYLVANIAN RUGS The collection of St. Margaret’s Church in Mediash Stefano Ionescu An original study of the Anatolian rugs to be found in Transylvania, and the fine examples conserved in the churches of the region. 21 THE MULBERRY The Silk Road Taher Sabahi Silk, its origins, its distribution th- rough Europe and Italy told through the history of an ancient tree. 33 THE ICOC CONFERENCE A review R. John Howe An account of the 12th ICOC Confe- rence, its meetings and market news. A review of the three temporary exhi- bitions organised for the occasion: the display of rare Turkoman rugs; a collection of Oriental carpets from private Swedish collections and, fi- nally, an exhibition dedicated entirely to Scandinavian textiles. 2 02-03 SOMMARIO ing 3-04-2012 10:40 Pagina 3 INTERNATIONAL CARPET & TEXTILE REVIEW News 50 News and updates from leading museums in Europe and the United States: from the nomination of the new director of the MAK in Vienna to the new layout of the gallery de- dicated to Islamic art at the Metropolitan Museum of New York. Exhibitions 56 There are plenty of exhibitions reviewed in this issue. We travel to San Francisco to admire the kilims in the McCoy Jone collection, then to Los Angeles to see the Japanese textiles made using a rare dyeing technique, and so on to COVER: Washington, with fabrics made from kuba in equatorial St. Margaret’s Church, Mediash adorned Africa. And finally, we return to Europe for an exhibition with 16th century Holbein and Lotto carpets of textiles made for children. CHAIRMAN & EDITOR: Taher Sabahi EDITOR IN CHIEF: Farian Sabahi ACADEMIC COMMITTEE: Murray Eiland Jr., Carol Bier, Jennifer Wearden, Siawosch Azadi, Wielfred Stanzer, Oktay Aslanapa, Feng Zhao, Beata Biedrońska-Słota, Auctions 70 Parviz Tanavoli, Jennifer Scarce. Results and the finest lots offered for sale in recent auc- CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS: tions of Oriental rugs and textiles. Stefano Ionescu, Taher Sabahi, R. John Howe Books & Catalogues 76 Two reference books for scholars and collectors: the catalo- © Copyright 2012, GHEREH INTERNATIONAL CARPET & TEXTILE REVIEW - Torino All right reserved. Unauthorised reproduction wholly or in part of text, gue of the Farjam collection, one of the most important pri- photographs and graphic material herein is forbidden world-wide. vate collections in the world, and a volume bringing together Sub-section 27, Art. 2, law 549/95 the most significant papers offered at the ICOC of Washing- ton and Istanbul. And finally, a voyage through the surprisin- Poste Italiane s.p.a - Spedizione in abbonamento postale - D. L. 353/2003 gly modern colours of kilims from northern Iran. (Conv. in L. 27/02/04 N. 46) art. 1 comma 1 DCB - Torino N. 2/2008 AUTHORISATION OF THE COURTS OF SALUZZO n. 127 del 3/2/93 Chaykhané Opinions expressed in articles in this magazine are 84 those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Turkish rugs of the Seljuk period and floors mosaics from a 6th-century patrician home in Ravenna. Cultural connec- tions and comparisons with Byzantine textiles. Printed Tipografia Testa - Torino OUR OFFICE IS OPEN Monday to Friday 3,30 - 7,30 p.m. C.so Vittorio Emanuele II 40, 10123 Turin, Italy Tel. +39 011 817 23 86 - +39 011 817 80 93 ISSN: 1124-335X e-mail: [email protected] 3 WWW. GHEREH . ORG 4-6 EDITORIALE ING 30-03-2012 11:42 Pagina 4 THE CARPET MUSEUM OF TEHERAN Teheran, 11 February 1978. The Carpet Museum was inaugurated in the pre- sence of the then Shah of Persia, Mohamad Reza Palhavi, and of his consort, Farah Diba. For the time, it was designed to innovative standards, and the museum represented the desire to give a substantial boost to an artistic and cultural heri- tage without paragon in the world, but it opened at a politically dramatic moment for Iran. In proof which continues to this day. The total lack of of the then political establishment’s interest in interest on the part of the authorities, the long the art of rugs, the design of the building hou- succession of incompetent directors, the lack sing the museum was commissioned by Farah of any will to renew and offer a programme Diba herself from architect Abdolaziz Farman geared to promoting this important museum, Farmaian. Through a play of volumes, the fa- all led to its slow and inexorable decline. The cade recreates the outline of a loom. The grid visitor who travels to Teheran today to see the characterising the external structure serves to Carpet Museum, will see the same layout as in filter a minimum of natural light within the the 1970s, displayed within gloomy, poorly il- museum, protecting the objects on display luminated and sad-looking rooms. Everything from sunlight, without isolating the building seems old and uncared-for, and the spaces totally from the outside world. have never been modernised. The internal di- In 1978, the Carpet Museum of Teheran sorganisation and inadequate maintenance was an avant-garde structure: on the ground round off the ‘calling card’ of a museum pos- floor, it had temporary exhibitions, the library, sessing a collection of inestimable historic and bookshop and, above all, an innovative layout. artistic value and which could be dubbed the The rooms presented 135 rugs from the most “cradle of rugs”. In their spectacular beauty, renowned weaving regions of Iran. Its 3,400 the carpets on display shine with their own li- square metres, also include a large park. The ght despite being surrounded by a total lack of principal collection, located on the ground institutional interest. And not only as regards floor. presents not only 20 or so splendid rugs the rugs belonging to the initial 1978 collec- from the Safavid court, but also a large number tion. of carpets of the 18th and 19th century, doing justice to an artistic period that had hitherto Gholamali Malool, a noted Iranian engi- been under-estimated by historians, as explai- neer and great carpet enthusiast has, with ned S. Azadi in the first catalogue published enthusiasm and dedication (and at a cost esti- for the inauguration. mated at around $3 million), built up a collec- But things suddenly changed. With the ar- tion worthy of an international museum. The rival of the Islamic revolution, resulting in the precious rugs he as sought out in every corner exile of the imperial family, the Carpet Mu- of the world along tell a piece of the history of seum began a long, painful period of neglect, his homeland, from the period of the Safavid 4 4-6 EDITORIALE ING 30-03-2012 11:42 Pagina 5 GHEREH EDITORIAL reign to the start of the 20th century. This passion Teheran museum and, like all the others unfortu- for rugs well represents the love Iranians have for nately, is displayed poorly. an article that is often bought by families with In October 2011, I was invited to Teheran, to- some financial sacrifice, and which is carefully gether with a group of experts, to visit the Carpet passed from from generation to generation. After Museum, where we were able to admire the col- having published the important and splendidly il- lection of Malool. With me were Siawosch Azadi, lustrated book, Baharestan (spring). A Doorway Qaderi (animator of the website dedicated to the to Persian Rugs, Malool considered donating world of rugs and textiles, Carpetour) and Ho- some of the examples in his collection to the Car- sein Haj Hasan, who was a director of the mu- pet Museum of Teheran, and thus 22 marvellous seum in the past. All of us, perhaps, expected rugs have enriched the already extraordinary va- some positive change to have taken place, that the riety of the institution’s holdings. donation would have incited the management to His passion as a collector has led him to pur- bring the museum up to international standards; chase one of the most unusual Persian rugs but once again, I have to register my disappoint- known to us, a splendid silk figural Kerman, desi- ment at seeing so many objects of inestimable va- gned by master Forsate Shirazi and originating lue displayed with total indifference. The poor li- from the workshop of Abu’l-Qasem Kirmani (a si- ghting and incomplete captions certainly did not milar rug was recently sold at auction by Rippon pay tribute to rare, prestigious carpets. Sadly, I Boswell for the exorbitant price of euro 110,000). have once again been given the proof that the Car- The pattern of this extraordinary example of pet Museum of Teheran is totally neglected by the the textile arts shows a tree of life filled with government institutions, especially those suppo- flowers and populated by a wide range of animals; sed to be protecting and promoting the nation’s it perfectly represents the image of the legendary heritage, such as the ministry of culture, which Persian gardens. A similar rug is conserved in the has for months refused the funds for the mu- seum’s most elementary ac- tivities. However, a new director has recently been nomina- ted: Sediqehe Qodratabadi. An archaeologist, she comes from Teheran’s Museum of Islamic art and has taught at the university of Teheran.