| sprice@hsc.vcu.edu
Dear All, Kaitag embroideries are a remarkable group of textile from an
aesthetic point of view. The embroiderer's freedom from the technical
constraints upon a weaver are fully exploited, with curved lines and
exuberant irregularity. The ability of silk to enhance colors is also
obvious in the best examples. Within this group there is a fairly large
subgroup, known in the marketplace as the "simurgh and dragon" design, on
which our Salon focused. There was some discussion of such matters as the
background color and number of background cotton pieces upon which each
embroidery was worked; neither appears to have any known significance.
There was lively discussion of the origin and significance of the
"simurgh" and "dragon" motifs, which reached a high point when Christoph
Huber argued rather persuasively that the "simurgh" is likely to be a
flower and the "dragon" is probably a bird. He also showed the remarkable
similarity of another, less common Kaitag motif to the Persian "qilin". It
would appear from this that the sources of Kaitag motifs in this group
alone include old Ottoman floral elements, and old Persian animal forms.
There is also a distinct group of Kaitag embroideries that are very
obviously derived from old Ottoman textiles. I am struck by the wide
variety of sources of the motifs on Kaitag embroideries, especially
considering the fact that the region where they were made is so small and
remote. It really emphasizes how easily artistic traditions can travel
into what we might think of as inaccessible places. I was a bit surprised
that the usual date attributions given to these pieces, often 17th and
18th century, was not mentioned at all. Finally, I thank all of those who
contributed to the discussion, and I hope it was informative for many of
our readers. It certainly was for me. Steve Price |