| Subject | : | Some Related Textiles in the Corcoran Topkapi Exhibition |
| Author | : | John Howe |
| Date | : | 06-06-2000 on 06:26 a.m. |
rjhowe@erols.com
As I mentioned in the opening salon photo essay, there is some similar and
contemporary material current here in Washington, D.C. in the Corcoran
Gallery presentation of items from the Topkapi Palace collections. In this
thread I will, over the next few days, put up a few of these items with
their captions. One of the virtues of the textiles presented in the
Topkapi exhibition is that many of the textiles are complete garments.
 Here is the Corcoran Topkapi
Exhibition item B13, "A Prince's Kemha Kaftan with Detachable sleeves,
16th century. 1/73 cm: sleeve l. 47.3 cm. This design appears to have the
same three discs we saw in one of the clothing panels in the salon but is
encountered here without the "tiger stripes." Regards, R. John
Howe |
| Subject | : | RE:Some Related Textiles in the Corcoran Topkapi Exhibition |
| Author | : | John Howe |
| Date | : | 06-07-2000 on 08:22 a.m. |
rjhowe@erols.com
Dear folks - Here's another image of a complete clothing item from the
Corcoran exhibition of Topkapi Palace material.  It's another example of the "leopards
spots" design that the author of Daniel's book has said is described as
the "cintamani" pattern. Notice that in some of the versions Daniel has
presented, the "tiger stripes" have become lattices. Here the lattices
seem not to be even abstracted versions of the "tiger stripes" but are
plant-like forms instead. The catalog caption reads: "B10 Short-sleeved
Kaftan, associated with Selim I, 16th century. L. 140.5 cm." Regards,
John |
| Subject | : | RE:Some Related Textiles in the Corcoran Topkapi Exhibition |
| Author | : | Patrick Weiler |
| Date | : | 06-07-2000 on 11:07 p.m. |
| jpweil00@gte.net John, You mention that the lattice appears almost plant-like in your second example. To me, it also looks a lot like the Bijar Garrus "strapwork" design. This "ogival" pattern also seems to relate to the shield-like Bakhtiari "garden" or "compartment" design such as that shown in the book Oriental Rugs Volume 2 Persian by Erich Aschenbrenner, plate 32 (one of the Antique Collectors' Club series). This salon shows how many rug patterns were evident in other textile media. Of course, it goes without saying the disclaimer that any comparison between rugs and other arts must be considered tenuous. Patrick Weiler |
| Subject | : | RE:Some Related Textiles in the Corcoran Topkapi Exhibition |
| Author | : | John Howe |
| Date | : | 06-08-2000 on 08:39 a.m. |
rjhowe@eerols.com
Dear folks - This morning's textile from the Corcoran Topkapi exhibition
is a particularly sumptuous kaftan. The catalog caption describes it as
"B16 Kemha Kaftan of Osman II ca. 1618-1622. L. 137.5 cm. Here is an image
of the complete garment. Another design with plant forms that move beyond
the naturalistic:  And here is a
detail in close-up of the same garment. Among other things it lets you see
how a subtle blue is used in many of these textiles.  Regards, R. John
Howe |
| Subject | : | RE:Some Related Textiles in the Corcoran Topkapi Exhibition |
| Author | : | Deschuyteneer Daniel |
| Date | : | 06-08-2000 on 03:42 p.m. |
| Dear all, This piece is also illustrated in “The Art of Turkish Weaving” ill. 91 This ceremonial caftan has vertical undulating stems with pomegranate and cypress cone emerging from the stems. According to Nevber Gürsu (page 177 & 182), the pomegranate motif had been employed in Turkish fabrics since the 15th century. It is of Oriental origin and it was a result of Italy’s close relations with the East that it made its appearance in silk fabric designs of the Italian “quatrocento”. Its adoption in Turkish fabrics coincides with the period of close commercial relations with the Italians in the 15th century, and thus could very plausibly be attributed to Italian influence. Italian silks were strongly influenced by several of the styles imported from China, which therefore exerted an indirect influence on Ottoman fabrics. The best example of this is the vertical undulating stem system employed in this piece and in Turkish fabric from the second half of the 16th century ownwards. The cypress occupies an important place in the Islamic religion, and is planted in cemeteries as a symbol of eternal life. It is also to be found in stylized or naturalistic form in a number of fabric designs, being particularly popular in the 18th century. The pine cone is also used in fabric designs in highly decorative forms. Thanks, Daniel |
| Subject | : | RE:Some Related Textiles in the Corcoran Topkapi Exhibition |
| Author | : | John Howe |
| Date | : | 06-09-2000 on 06:31 a.m. |
rjhowe@erols.com
Dear folks - Pat Weiler comments above on the similarities he sees between
the lattice design in one caftan and those in two different types of
carpets. Here is one of the really wonderful examples of a Bijar "Garrus"
design from John Collins' fine ORR article in 1992. Collins calls this a
"split arabesque" version of this design.  Pat, the lattices here (often called "strapwork") seem not to
have the same regularity as those in these Turkish textiles. They do
exhibit the richness that these Turkish pieces exude. Pat also mentions
the Bakhtiari panel design in a plate in the Aschenbrenner book on Persian
rugs. I don't own that book but here's what may be a similar rug from Jim
Opie's book on "Tribal Rugs of South Persia.  Opie describes this rug as made by the Bakhtiari-Chahar Mahal.
These lattices do seem more like those on this Turkish caftan. Often the
panels in rugs with this design are in different colors. I know where
there is one here in Washington, D.C., right now, that I would like to
own, despite being a Turkman collector. Regards, R. John
Howe |
| Subject | : | RE:Some Related Textiles in the Corcoran Topkapi Exhibition |
| Author | : | John Howe |
| Date | : | 06-11-2000 on 06:48 a.m. |
rjhowe@erols.com
We’re getting toward the end of the caftans in the Corcoran Topkapi
exhibition but here is another. 
This one would appear, perhaps, to be a member of the group that Daniel’s
author refers to as “zerbeft”: with fantastic plant form designs. The
catalog caption reads: “Princely Kaftan, Associated with Ahmed I. 17th
century. L. 76.5 cm.” Regards, R. John Howe |