Meeting

All of us who collect or enjoy the artistry of oriental carpets know that these works of art have often been subject to various myths, legends and dubious scholarship. From the “intentional flaw” to the “Gapylyk tribe,” stories from the marketplace –and on occasion, from the scholarly world itself –have long found currency in our […]

Peter D’Ascoi will lead us through his journey as a textile collector, admirer and designer. He will focus on his guiding principles of preserving the heritage and cultural appreciation of Indian textile traditions. He will explore the beauty and craftsmanship of a range of techniques employed historically and today by diverse Indian cultures through his

Despite growing literature on tribal carpets, little is known on early nomadic Anatolian carpets with only scant evidence on their tribal nature. The case of two Central Anatolian Animal Rugs of Karamania from circa 1450 to 1550—the Vakıflar “Bird-Tree” Rug and the Mevlānā Forty-Birds Rug—endeavors to shed light on their socio-cultural background by cross-referencing carpets

RSVP Now Our Annual Summer Picnic is coming! SHOW & TELL: will begin around 1:00 pm. Please bring one or two favorite pieces (rugs and/or textiles) from your collection. Be prepared to say a few words about why it’s one of your favorites. This year our host Vinay, will be setting up a table for

RSVP Now We have arranged a private tour of the very interesting exhibit “Weaving Abstraction in Ancient and Modern Art ” at the Metropolitan Museum on Tuesday, June 11th at 1pm. The two curators: Joanne Pillsbury and Iria Candela will tell us about the wonderful pieces. This is the same day as our Annual Meeting

In the first half of the 19th century, the Sikhs took control of India’s Punjab and Kashmir. Within a few years, the classical, time honored patterns found on the Kashmir shawl underwent a truly dramatic change. The shawl quickly absorbed and created design ideas stemming from the Punjab’s Sikh culture. These designs had a lasting

In the Grassfields region of central Africa, rulers have used indigo-dyed cloth as a ceremonial backdrop to set a royal stage for more than a century. Ndop, as it is most commonly known, conveys messages of power, wealth, and cultural artistry through its symbols, color, age, size, and placement. Displayed behind the king during specific

How do we know what we know about Persian rugs? This inquiry serves as a departing point for this presentation, during which Sophia Sacal will delve deep into the processes whereby knowledge is produced through and from a Western perspective. She will invite listeners to question our modern understanding of Persian rugs by demonstrating how

Vagirehs (rug samplers) are probably the quirkiest and funkiest of all antique carpets. At the same time they are arguably the most honest and human, being the closest to the weavers’ spirit and mind. They were never intended for commercial use and were made to instruct younger weavers in their ancestral skills. As such they

RSVP Now Admission: $13.00/adult and $7.00/senior adult Stories of Syria’s Textiles: Art and Heritage Across Two Millennia highlights textiles’ outstanding contributions to Syrian culture during antiquity and between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, as well as today. Syrian textiles are remarkable for their artistic, social, and economic significance. Finely woven clothing and furnishings are the