HALI NEWSLETTER No. 395

[View this email in your browser]( 'Prayer and Transcendence' is showing at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum in Washington, DC. The exhibition introduces visitors to the role and iconography of classical prayer carpets from across the Islamic world, as well as design comparisons from the Jewish tradition. Around twenty carpets spanning the 16th through 19th centuries have been drawn from five collections – The Textile Museum Collection, Harvard Art Museums, Cincinnati Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Markarian Collection. A virtual colloquium, which will be held from 21–22 March 2023, has been arranged to enrich the scholarly contributions of the exhibition. The carpets share a central motif: an elegant arch surrounded by vegetation and flowers. This iconic image often symbolises the gateway to paradise, conceived in the Qur'an as a lush, walled garden. The exhibition also explores the spiritual meaning of the lamp and water pitcher motifs that recur throughout prayer carpet design. Two Jewish Torah Ark curtains on view employ a similar artistic representation of a lamp as a symbol of divine light, and the arch as the entrance to paradise. 'By presenting the iconography of prayer carpets and its interpretation across time and artistic traditions, from Ottoman Türkiye to Safavid Iran to Mughal India, 'Prayer and Transcendence' can deepen our understanding of these textiles as a unifying element of Muslim cultures on our campus and around the world,' says museum director John Wetenhall. [Find out more.]( [News] 'Codes– Stories in Textiles', the 20th European Textile Network Conference, will be held from 2–4 March 2023. Taking place in Łódź, Poland, a traditional textile manufacturing town, the conference will be a series of lectures highlighting the various 'stories' that are hidden in textiles and the ways in which they reflect the cultures they emerge from. Lectures will cover a range of topics, from 'Reflections on Structure in Andean Khipus' by Manuel Medrano, to the stories behind Archbishop Morton's Cope, led by Mary M Brookes. Clémentine Paquier-Berthelot will deliver a lecture on the Bayeux Tapestry, and Tanja Boukal will present 'Bayeux 2.0', discussing her modern adaptation of the original. Shown above is a detail of the Bayeux Tapestry; a 68-metre-long frieze depicting a medieval ruler's accession to the throne (photo by the Bayeux Tapestry Museum). [Find out more.]( Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers in Copenhagen will host its first major auction of the year in early March. The sale offers a fine selection of antique Northwest Persian Heriz carpets with medallion designs, a wide range of Persian Esfahan Seirafian rugs and other notable rugs. The modern carpet auction offers several Swedish rugs by some of the most well-known textile designers of the 1950s-60s, such as Barbro Nilsson, Märta Måås-Fjetterström, Ingrid Hellman-Knafve, Mai Wellner, Brita Grahn, Ann-Mari Forsberg and others. Auction Preview in Copenhagen: 2–5 March 2023 Antique Carpets and Rugs Auction: 6 March 2023, 3pm CEST Modern Carpets and Rugs Auction: 9 March 2023, 4pm CEST For further information, please contact Henrik Schleppegrel, rug and carpet specialist: T: +45 88181145 E: hsc@bruun-rasmussen.dk [View the selection of antique carpets and rugs.]( [View the selection of modern rugs.]( [News] Although the history of Dutch garments made from Indian chintz has been well researched, a fascinating area remains largely unexplored. In HALI 214, Karun Thakar delves into the story of dress panels worn on the island of Marken, making fresh discoveries and raising questions that wait to be answered. This issue of HALI presents a particular appeal to those interested in chintz; another article in the magazine analyses a chintz from the TAPI Collection with Japanese decorative elements, and a third sees Shilpa and Praful Shah, founders of the TAPI Collection, share thoughts on three Indian trade cloths close to their hearts. Shown above is a fragment of Indian Chintz, 18th century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [Read more in HALI 214.]( We are in the process of revising our privacy policy. If you would like to unsubscribe click [here](. [Follow Us] [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Been forwarded this email and want to receive it regularly? Subscribe to this newsletter]( Copyright © 2023, Hali Publications Ltd., All rights reserved. [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences](