Resources for Collectors of Area Rugs
The Caroline and H. McCoy Jones Department of Textile Arts contains an extensive collection of images and information on more than 13,000 textiles and costumes from traditions around the world. A very wide range of techniques are represented, including loom-woven, non-woven fabrics such as bark cloth, felt and knitting, and objects embellished with beading and embroidery. Highlights from the collection include exceptional Turkmen carpets and the most important group of Anatolian kilims outside Turkey. Dating from the 15th to the 19th century, the Anatolian kilims include a variety of design types and regional styles, as well as superb examples of artistic and visual prowess.
The Seattle Textile and Rug Society is also known as STARS, and the group is dedicated to the appreciation of fine rugs and textiles for those in the Puget Sound area. Through meetings, speakers, newsletters, and exhibitions, STARS provides its members an opportunity to learn and to share their interest in the world of carpets, textiles and the related arts. Anyone interest in studying, collecting, preserving or decorating with textiles and rugs will enjoy being a member of STARS. Group has had forums about textiles and costumes in urban Morocco, Tsutsugaki, Thai textiles, Shahsavan weaving and Kutch embroidery, to name a few.
Home page to the San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society, this site is informative for rug collectors and area residents. Articles about Ersari, Armenian exhibitions, curious fragment, Moghul rugs, mosaics, Syrian rugs, Afghan War rugs, and more. Includes pictures from the Heavenly Gardens exhibition, membership information and more for those interested in rugs and textiles.
Rug & Carpet Design Articles & Reviews
Here are some fascinating miscellaneous articles and reviews of rug and carpet design on the website of Thomas Cole, a private dealer in the rugs and textiels of Central Asia: Traces of Tree Worship in the Decorative Patterns of Turkish Rugs by Galina Serkina; A Look at the Word 'Tribal' and Tibetan Rugs at Adraskand - Exhibition Review by Murray Eiland, Jr.; Carpets of Central Asia and The Ballard Collection - St. Louis Museum of Art by George O'Bannon; Silk & Wool - Ottoman Textile Design in Turkish Rugs by Gerard Paquin; Myth and Design - Textile Art of Ancient Inner Asia and Ancient Imprints (looking for design origins in oriental carpets from the Bronze Age) by Tom Cole; Patterned Reed Screens of the Kirghiz in the State Historical Museum, Frunze by Stella Mateeva and Jon Thompson; The Karakalpak Rug Collection of the Museum of Oriental Art, Moscow by L.G. Beresneva; Northern Tibet Exploration - Archaeological Discoveries of the Changthang Circuit Expedition 1999 and The Ancient Amulets Of Tibet: Thogchags - A Collection of Miniature Masterpieces by John Belleza.
This provides a history and overview of Turkmen weavings. Around 1875, the Czarist Russian government finally succeeded in conquering the various groups, known collectively as the Turkmen confederation, who fiercely resisted all efforts to remove them from the area of southwest Russia. The war had lasted for several decades and the Turkmen, like the native Indians of the American southwest, were able to remain victorious against superior military technology and numbers. When the Russian government allocated tremendously increased resources and manpower (like the government of the United States did against the American Indians) they succeeded. Territorial imperatives were satisfied - at the expense of the total destruction the Turkmen (and as was the case in America, the American Indian) lifestyle, traditions and culture. More information includes photos of Turkmen rugs.
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