promise and potential of rug books
Great article. ... As a new ruggie, I became interested in some areas through
aesthetic appeal (e.g., Baluch, Kurd) and then bought a few books. Must be how
it goes. The first books I read seemed to suggest that designs were diagnostic
-- if it looks like this, it was probably made there and about then. But more
reading suggests that while structure and color may be more useful in making
attributions than design (and as Steve has noted here, structure isn't really
used without design), the rug literature might be more reliable (the same object
is given similar people/place/time/ intention attributions by different sources)
than valid (the attributions are correct). (The Baluch and Kurd stuff I like
seems to be more heavily shrouded in the mists of foggy history, etc., than
other types). Since I only care to read about things that I find enjoyable
aesthetically, I've made peace with this by trying to just see a lot of pictures
and cooling my enthusiasms about age, place, non-commercial intent, etc. 
Perhaps the rug literature would be
of more use to collectors (versus curators, scholars of particular peoples,
etc.) if less emphasis was placed on attributions, at least the more speculative
issues, and more attention was paid to the aesthetic differences that
experienced observers appreciate. I think that Mark Hopkins' ORR bit on Jaf bags
which emphasizes aesthetics (colors, spaciousness, fluid drawing) is a good
example.
This is a very nice synopsis. It is a shame to stop at 1970, however. The
catalogues of Herrmann may be the single most influential publishing enterprise
of twentieth century in forming the 21st century's view of rugs as
art.
John Collins
1970 is the Present
John,
It seems that 1970 is perceived as being the beginning of The
Present Era in rug books (and collecting). Murray Eiland first published his
book in 1973, I believe.
Your point that the Herrmann catalogues influenced
rug collecting to this day is further evidence that the 1970's began the current
popularity of rugs as collectibles and Art.
The early 70's found James Opie,
John Wertime, Jenny Housego and others in Iran at the same time that economic
pressures brought a flood of tribal weavings to the market.
By the 1970's,
the opening of the floodgates of Oriental Rug publications had begun, and the
modern era of collecting began in ernest.
Granted, there has been a market
for rugs all along (and there have been collectors). But it was the time between
the availability of mass-produced machine-made carpets (and wall-to-wall
carpeting), when worn out rugs were thrown in the trash, and the Back-To-The
Earth movement of the late 1960's, that there was a wasteland of interest in
oriental rugs.
The same phenomenon took place in other crafts a few decades
after the beginning of the industrial revolution. A backlash against this mass
industrialization to more natural materials and construction formed the basis of
the Craftsman movement. In this country, Mission furniture and Craftsman homes
and Utopian communities developed. The depression, subsequent war and rebuilding
during the "modern" 1950's changed the focus of popular
culture.
Utopianly yours,
Patrick Weiler
HOORAY MR KENT !!!!!!
thank you ever so much for your comments.
adding to mr kent's observations, i would like to add my 'criticism' of
the little world of antique rugs.
in my limited time as a collector (if i
may be considered that) i have found little help from books and experts - with a
few notable exceptions. i guess what i am trying to say is that it seems almost
an 'exclusive' club. some people know. others guess.
books provide
examples - visual references. they provide structural analyses. but rarely do
they offer insights into why experienced collectors, for example, select a piece
as worthy of publication in HALI.
what a pleasure it would be to find a
book that "compares" the merits of particular pieces.
i have seen so
many bloody tekke torbas that look similar in design and colour, and yet,
attract significantly different interest and prices.
i believe
comparisons and contrasts would be a GREAT way of educating we who live on the
fringes of the imperial rug circle.
richard tomlinson
Hi Richard,
Books don't work very well for the kind of education you'e
talking about. I think the best way to get it is hands-on examination of lots of
rugs of varying quality, with input from as many collectors/dealers/connoisseurs
as possible, so you can sort out the facts from the fantasies.
Really
great learning can happen at previews of major auctions (Sotheby's, Skinner's,
Rippon-Boswell, and the like) and at dealer fairs at ACOR and ICOC. These give
you the opportunity to see and handle from several hundred to several thousand
rugs in a reasonable amount of time, to compare specimens of the same type, and
to get lots of opinions from others.
Regards,
Steve Price