Posted by Pat Weiler on December 12, 1998 at 00:24:43:
In Reply to: Re: A Simple Lattice, Maybe posted by R. John Howe on December 10, 1998 at 19:12:00:
: I have to admit, Pat, I've not been tempted to read deeply into Mr. Ganzhorn's book because, while doctoral theses have to come from somewhere and are a bit on the spot to stake out new ground, this one seems too fixated from the outset on its hypothesis. If I read him correctly, he wants to deny almost entirely Muslim influence in oriental rug design. It would be sufficient for him to say that perhaps Christian sources have been under-credited in most analyses but it seems to me that he behaves too much like a PhD candidate needing to be exceptionally iconoclastic. It does provide a great many color photos for $15, which is what I paid for it at a flea market awhile back.
John:
I agree that the theory underlying "The Christian Oriental Carpet" is single-minded to the point of being proselytizing. At least it is there in black and white for you to ignore, while you search for tantalizing tidbits of relevant information. The time-line of some of the designs presented seems rigorous, even if his conclusions are suspect.
Some rug books have made blatantly wrong assertions woven into innocuous "scholarship", with the result that the whole lot of pronouncements in the book are clothed in legitimacy. This can perpetuate inaccuracies.
I would say you made a good buy for $15.