HALI NEWSLETTER No. 457

[View this email in your browser]( Austria Auction Company will hold its 'Fine Antique Oriental Rugs XXXVI' sale on 6 April 2024 at 4pm CEST. The 250 lots can be previewed from 3 April–5 April from 11am–5pm and 6 April from 11am–4pm. The sale offers a treasure trove of different types of weavings for all budgets and collecting interests, including [lot 175]( above. Deccani embroideries of the 18th century are rare and seldom appear in the market in Europe. Some can be found in old English manor houses. A special feature in these embroideries is the use of metal thread to cover the surface between the silk embroidery, sometimes just in parts or, in very luxurious examples like this, over the whole ground. The field design here is a take on the lattice concept, however it connects the flaming green lattice with the flowerhead which is uncommon in pieces of this type. The direction of the pattern cleverly changes midfield so that viewers from both sides have a clear view. If we observe closely we see that the centre is marked by a single spinning blossom in a more elaborate style than the one we find in the powerful main border. View the many other interesting examples in this auction by clicking below. [View the sale.]( Fashioning an Empire: Textiles from Safavid Iran’ at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha highlights the critical role that silk played during the Safavid period. Showing until 22 June, it explores the development of the state-controlled silk industry under Shah ‘Abbas, which boosted Persia’s economy by supplying an eager internal demand and export market. This exhibition is showing at the Museum of Oriental Art, Venice until 28 April 2024, and showcases the artisanal skills that have been passed down through generations of the Miao population in China, which are most obvious in a series of fabrics and embroideries, loaned by the Italian Geographical Society and collector Franco Passarello. Hosted online by the Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center from 10–11 April, '[re]Think Silk' is an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural examination of silk and sericulture that explores the subject beyond traditional geographic and cultural perspectives. Join scholars, curators and specialists as they share recent research and discoveries on silk textiles from around the world. Panels will explore new developments in silk studies, including silk production in India, Italy and parts of Africa; the social and psychological appeal of silk in Mesoamerica and Northern China; and contemporary technological efforts to modify silk. Among the presenters are Zhao Feng, dean of the School of Art and Archaeology, Zhejiang University, China; textile artist and founder of Treenway Silks, Karen Selk, Canada and Elena Phipps, conservator and curator, The Met, New York (retired) and lecturer, UCLA, Los Angeles. The Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center is home to one of the world’s most significant textile study collections. Assembled by the late Lloyd Cotsen, it consists of some 4,000 fragments created around the globe and dating from antiquity to the present. '[re]Think Silk' is a project of the Center and John E. Vollmer, and is supported by the Rubin-Ladd Foundation and the Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection Endowment. Participation in the colloquium is free of charge. Please register early to reserve your space. Image: Textile fragment (detail), North Africa, early 19th century. Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection T-0601. Photo by Bruce M. White Photography. [Find out more.]( There are still places available on the Greater Anatolia Rug and Textile Study Tour, offered by The Black Tent Project and HALI, and held from 23 May–5 June 2024 just ahead of the International Conference on Oriental Carpets (ICOC XV) in Istanbul. The 13-day tour offers visitors exclusive access to woven treasures, including those at Istanbul's Turkish and Islamic Art Museum (left), alongside a series of workshops and lectures. [Book now.]( Returning to one of the most important regions for carpet production. DOMOTEX Middle East will take place from 23–25 April 2024 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). Top exhibitors such as Merinos, Oriental Weavers, Solomon Carpets, Al Abdullatif, Heritage Carpet, Oora Carpets, Standard Carpets, Messara Living, Farrahi Carpets, Almas Kavir Carpet, Abu Dhabi National Carpets, Madhu India, Nirmal International, Extraweave, Dodhia Synthetics Limited, Nayyer Industries, Indian art Gallery, Card Monroe and many more are waiting to show you their top products and latest innovations, including modern designs, unique pieces and magnificent craftsmanship. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to visit the show and enjoy unparalleled hospitality in Dubai! [Claim your free ticket.]( With the ['Decorative Arts of Iberia']( HALI Tour taking place in partnership with [Martin Randall Travel]( in April, the focus of this month's [#RugFactFriday]( is on Iberian carpet variations. Alcaraz carpets form the basis of Chapter 2, and they will be explored using different articles from the HALI archive. In HALI 185, Rachel Meek explains that 'Carpets had been produced in Iberia from the 12th century – the region had an output akin to, but independent of, Anatolia and Persia. It is known that weaving centres were established in Alcaraz and Letur, with Cuenca also having important workshops from the 16th century. Under Christian control, silk production in Iberia declined and wool took over as the even more lucrative fibre of choice.' Michael Franses explores Alcaraz carpets more specifically in HALI 157 from 2008: 'Alcaraz was where Spanish rugs were sold...they were made in a number of small villages on a cottage industry basis in the province of Albacete in the Murcia region...All the so-called ‘Alcaraz’ carpets seem to be remarkably similar in wool, handle, weave and dyes.' Shown here is what is described by Franses in HALI 197—on the occasion of it being shown in the exhibition ‘Il Montefeltro e l’Oriente Islamico’, at the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino, Italy—as 'probably the oldest surviving example of an Alcaraz carpet with the carnation field design, from the Instituto de Valencia de Don Juan in Madrid. Reduced in size and recomposed, it is still one of the most beautiful small Spanish rugs known today.' Those joining the 'Decorative Arts of Iberia' HALI Tour will have the great privilege of visiting the private Insitute and seeing this carpet, and others, for themselves. Access all the articles referenced above, and more information about Alcaraz carpets and other Iberian rug types, with a digital subscription to HALI. Image: The Madrid carnations carpet, Alcaraz, Spain, ca. 1475–1500. Instituto Valencia de Don Juan, Madrid, 3.860 [Find out more.]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Website]( [LinkedIn]( Copyright © 2023 Hali Publications, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: HALI Publications 6 Sylvester Path London, Hackney E8 1EN United Kingdom Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Hali Publications Ltd · 6 Sylvester Path · London, England E8 1EN · United Kingdom