HALI NEWSLETTER No. 460

[View this email in your browser]( The exhibition 'Persia Felix: Carpets, Metals and Miniatures from Ancient Towns' is the second exhibition at MITA Centro Culturale. Curated by Giovanni Valagussa, Persia Felix is the result of the collaboration of Fondazione Tassara (Brescia) with Fondazione Bruschettini per l'Arte Islamica e Asiatica (Genoa) and NUR Islamic Metalworks Collection (Milan). It offers visitors the opportunity to access some treasures rarely shown in public and yet always in temporary exhibitions of the highest level. The temporary show offers the opportunity to view rarely-shown treasures—including carpets from across ancient Persia—offering an extraordinary panoramic impression of cities that flourished during the Safavid empire, which the East-West trade routes passed through. Alongside the carpets are other splendid objects dating from a period that witnessed a kind of Persian Renaissance, such as illuminated manuscripts. These give us a glimpse into the millennia-old Persian literary tradition, rich in outstanding writers, poets, philosophers, mathematicians and scientists. Also on display are rare metal objects, some dating back to the 12th century. 'Persia Felix' is an exhibition focused on a joyful, cultured and elegant Persia, which testifies to its many great artistic traditions and the variety of their expressions. The exhibition is open from 4–8pm on Thursdays and 2.30–7.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays until 14 July [Find out more.]( Two extraordinary bodies of textile works, separated by at least 500 years, are shown together in this exhibition at The Met, New York, exploring striking connections between artists of the ancient Andes and four artists working in the 20th century. Running until 16 June 2024, this cross-historical exhibition offers new insights into the emergence of abstract imagery in weaving. Fine examples of Diné (Navajo) 19th-century child’s blankets are showcased in this exhibition which explores the evolution of designs, from simple bands and stripes to more elaborate and complex patterns, and the historical context that forced weavers to adapt to a changing world and oppressive conditions. The exhibition is showing at the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House, Taos until 30 May 2024. Image: Collection of Robert and Sherry Parsons. Henry’s will hold its next 'Collector Rugs and Carpets' auction on 4 May 2024. Containing over 200 antique and collectible carpets, the auction can be attended in-person at the Mutterstadt showroom, or can be viewed online. Auction highlights include a very well-preserved Chinese palace carpet, three oversized Turkmen carpets, a 1930 Tabriz Petag from 1930, a Kashan circa 1900, an 18th-century Konya-Ladik and an antique eagle Kazak from 1900. For lovers of flatweaves there are some interesting antique Anatolian kilims. For enquiries call +49 6234 8011 300 or email teppiche@henrys.de. [Find out more.]( With the [ICOC XV]( taking place in June, the focus of this month's [#RugFactFriday]( is on Turkish carpets. Anatolian kilims form the basis of Chapter 1, explored using an article from the latest issue, [HALI 219](. With the Sadberk Hanım Museum, north of Istanbul, preparing to exhibit many of Josephine Powell’s kilims in time for the ICOC, Havva Furat Ay looked at her collection and role as someone who contributed an enormous amount to our knowledge of the nomadic tribes of Anatolia. Powell donated her collection to the Vehbi Koç Foundation in the late 1990s. Furat Ay categorises Powell’s collection, explaining that it contains 'some of the most striking examples woven by Yüncü nomads'. These feature a characteristic weaving pattern, as seen in a well-known example featuring 'a plain red ground and a single hexagonal hooked medallion'. Another piece in this category 'contains columns with horizontal hooked branches', and a typical red and blue colour scheme. She goes on to mention a cicim, featuring the 'hands-on-hip' (elibelinde) motif, which is 'one of the most frequent motifs in Anatolian weavings'. The author concludes: 'Kilims were used every day during migrations in Anatolia and were a part of the nomadic lifestyle. Over the past twenty years, Josephine Powell’s collection has given many people the opportunity to research this field. It is important to understand how crucial a role women played through producing these kilims. And it is impossible to think of kilims outside of the context in which they are produced.' Access the full article referenced above, and more information about the ICOC XV and Anatolian weavings, in the new issue of HALI. Image: Balıkesir kilim, west Anatolia, Turkey, 19th century. Vehbi Koç Foundation, 226-07A-CC. 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