daniel.d@infonie.be
Dear Robert and you all, You clearly noticed the striking similarities
between your kilim (your Fig. 1) and the Belkis Balpinar and Udo Hirsh
example (your Fig. 2). You suggested that the two pieces must have been
woven by the same tribe, and possibly by the same individuals. One
technical "weaving error" seen in the two pieces suggests that the same
individuals woven them. They didn’t strengthen intersecting diagonalss
with horizontal elements. In her lecture during last ICOC, Marla Mallett
explained many problems encountered by slit tapestry weavers. One of them
is the weakness of the fabric where diagonals intersect or cross. The
solution for the weaver is to stabilise the fabric wherever diagonals come
together, by weaving a few horizontal wefts across the junction. It
doesn’t matter whether these yarns are part of the motif itself, or part
of the background. She said also that this simple principle is the key to
a lot of kilim designs. These stabilising bars appear in the kilim
illustrated in your Fig. 3 - 5 – 6 but not in Fig. 1 & 2. The
following picture comparing one of your medallions and the Kult Kelim
example shows this clearly.  Many
thanks, Daniel |