HALI NEWSLETTER No. 435

[View this email in your browser]( The 26th edition of Asian Art in London is currently running until 4 November 2023. In and around central London, a varied and extensive programme of specialised selling exhibitions and auctions will be held by participants– respected dealers, galleries and auction houses specialising in Asian art. The works of art offered range across the Indian and Islamic world, China, Japan and Korea, and can be anything from ancient to contemporary, classic to unique. In addition to the auctions and exhibitions is a wonderful programme of talks, curator tours, book launches, lectures, a concert, late night openings and a champagne reception. For Indian and Islamic Art, these events have begun and will end on 28 October, whereas those for East Asian Art will take place from 26 October–4 November. Please consult the guidebook for timings and participating galleries; a digital version can be found [here](. [Find out more.]( [News] The Oriental Rug and Textile Society presents 'The Persian Carpet: The Forgotten Years 1722–1822', a talk with Persian rug expert Hadi Maktabi. This will be held at the University Women's Club, London on 25 October 2023 at 6pm. The lecture will delve into the frequently overlooked history of carpet weaving in 18th and 19th century Persia, exploring the development of Safavid styles as they were embraced and adapted by rural weavers, culminating in the distinctive carpet types that exist today. This is a period that Maktabi recognises as 'an essential connector between the historical Safavid age and the more familiar carpets of the Revival era (1872-1930) and beyond'. The lecture will explore various design categories, such as garden and tree motifs, and the Harshang, Herati and Garrus patterns, illustrating their gradual evolution from the original Safavid style to the ultimate Revival form. Maktabi will also seek to 'explain the socio-economic value and history of carpets in this period and highlight the art historical importance of the lack of European demand during it.' [Find out more.]( Henry’s will hold its next 'Collector Rugs and Carpets' auction on 4 November 2023 at 2pm CEST. Containing 308 lots originating from Persia, China, the Caucasus, Turkey and Turkmenistan, the auction can be attended in-person at the Mutterstadt showroom, or can be viewed online. Auction highlights include three antique silk souf Keshan and a very fine Esfahan Seirafian with 1.2 million knots per square metre. A very beautiful Heriz Serapi comes from private ownership. For lovers of Far Eastern weavings, the sale offers antique Ningxia rugs and a rare yellow-ground Khotan from the beginning of the 19th century. Among the Turkish carpets, a rare 19th-century Feshane/Kumkapi stands out. For enquiries call +49 6234 8011 300 or email teppiche@henrys.de. [Find out more.]( [News] 'აბრეშუმი – Soie' is showing at Les Drapiers, Liège until 16 December 2023. As part of the Europalia art biennial, cocoons, fabrics and silk threads from the collections of the Tbilisi Silk Museum will be presented alongside new artworks in this show which looks at the roots of sericulture in Georgia. Image courtesy of the American Folk Art Museum, photo: Schecter Lee. [Find out more.]( A. Davoodzadeh & Son is a second-generation antique and decorative rug business located in midtown Manhattan, New York. Visit the showroom to see a wide selection of antique, decorative and tribal rugs, primarily of Persian, Caucasian and Chinese origin. Contact A. Davoodzadeh & Son – Antique Rugs NYC for more information: Address: 25 West 31st Street, Suite 502, T: 212-268-5876 New York, NY 10001 E: davoodzadehrugs@aol.com [Visit A. Davoodzadeh & Son online.]( [Follow A. Davoodzadeh & Son on Instagram]( [News] This month for [#RugFactFriday]( we are using the HALI Archive to look in detail at baghs and phulkaris. In the Traveller's Tales section of HALI 203 from Spring 2020, London textile dealer Joss Graham describes a recent trip, during which he found that Punjabi phulkaris (embroidered shawls) were enjoying a resurgence of interest both at home and internationally. Graham begins by explaining that phulkaris are 'worn by women on important ceremonial occasions, notably at marriages.’ He goes on to delineate the difference between the two; while phulkari is ‘used to describe shawls where the ground is visible between the silk stitching’, bagh describes embroideries ‘in which the ground cloth is completely covered and disappears from sight.’ Having been a frequent traveller to the Indian subcontinent for fifty years, Graham is a keen observer of how intertwined these weavings are with the landscape from which they emerged. He writes: ‘This is Punjab, the land of the five rivers, which was the heartland of phulkari production. This is where cotton was first domesticated, spun and woven at the time of the Indus Valley civilisation, 4,000 years ago. Phulkaris are also heir to another ancient discovery of this region: the dyeing of cotton with madder root employing mordants. The majority of the oldest phulkari have red grounds and the soft handle and rich colour of the ground cloth is key to the beauty of these masterpieces. The fertile red plains of Punjab with massed fields of wheat and barley are the predominant colours and are poetically described as marigold and jasmine, or gold and silver, mirrors or moonlight.’ He continues: ‘the area of distribution of phulkari stretches from the mountainous extreme northwest of Pakistan, the areas of Swat and Hazara, through the well-watered plains of Punjab and Haryana, up to the gates of Delhi, the ancient capital of India.’ One of the author's concluding observations is that ‘an important feature is the design elaboration of the two long side borders: it is the edge which frames the face and covers the head. The edge of the cloth has special protective value.’ These remarks are expanded on in the article, which can be accessed by buying a digital subscription to HALI. Shown above is a ghoongat phulkari embroidery with auspicious triangular Tika’ designs, Himachal Pradesh, early 20th century. Image courtesy of the Joss Graham Gallery. 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