Posted by Jim Allen on July 26, 1999 at 20:10:44:
In Reply to: Re: Some Thoughts posted by Wendel Swan on July 26, 1999 at 07:43:54:
: Dear Sophia,
: Thank you for the comments. I am quite certain that this rug is not Kurdish.
: Unfortunately, when faced with a plethora of weavings without "Schurrmann-esque" labels, we often revert to suggesting Kurdish. Because the Kurds wove so many different designs and with such diverse structures, "Kurdish" often becomes, erroneously, an attribution by default.
: Similarly, "Shahsavan" is often applied by default to geometric weaving (including pile rugs) with animals or human figures. Ebay, for example, currently abounds with Shahsavan attributions, some of which are blatantly incorrect.
: I have very carefully avoided an attribution because I believe that, in the end, none can be certain. While this rug has some attributes of what I believe are Shahsavan, some aspects (particularly the border) give me pause.
: In the spirit of shameless self-promotion, I will say that I am speaking at ICOC in Italy on the topic of Shahsavan pile weaving and that the images in this Salon will be a part of my paper. Therefore, constructive criticism is most welcome.
: Wendel
:I have recently been exposed to a fair number of verified Shahsaven pile weavings and I am most impressed by Sophies intuition and keen insight. It appears she has elevated the art of looking to a high degree and is enjoying some real success at it. The golden yellows and the just plain killer mid tones of the primary colors and a robust but disciplined weave seemed to be the norm. Also the rugs were often long and really rather shaped like very old yomud carpets, maybe 4 ft 10in. by 8-9 feet. I can tell by the other pieces you chose to illustrate your salon you like pieces that are very pristine and virtuous. The rug is a little break for you then, I suppose, and I agree with Sophie, it is a "happy" rug. I vote Shahsavan for the attribution as well based just on appearance. I have a very very good small Shahsaven pile rug I will send you a picture of which I acquired in Turkey. Jim