Celebrating Masterworks

It’s no secret that we love working with the spectacular Ryan Lawson, and we’re especially thrilled to see his inspired visions in an exhibition called CELEBRATING MASTERWORKS, in which Ryan uses some of our vintage and antique carpets to help build narratives around the furniture.

With Ryan’s eclectic touch, he pulls from the incredible collections of Dobrinka Salzman and Diner Gallery to curate the best of the best works by a number of artists.

Here an early 20th Century Donegal Arts & Crafts Carpet Designed by Gavin Morton brings an intense warmth that offsets the wall color perfectly.

The “Turkey red” Oushak based design eschews borders, and the whole effect is that of a centered, but not overtly medallion, layout. The color palette is narrow, including red, cream and black. One could see it as a Turkish village yastik (cushion cover) blown up to vast room-size. The weave is quite coarse and the carpets were intended for a middle class clientele, going with wallpaper, furnishings and accessories. They were marketed primarily through Liberty of London.  The carpets in this design, as most of Donegals were, came in various colorways, and there are examples with cream and dark blue grounds.

Unlike Oushaks which were produced in quantity, Donegal carpets were woven in smaller numbers and have always been relatively uncommon.

Stock ID 24303
Irish Donegal
11’4” x 16’8”
circa 1900

https://antiquerugstudio.com/donegal-arts-crafts/24303

In this ensemble a 1950s Swedish Rya grounds the space with its modern rendition of pictorial tradition that is more than two centuries old.

The relatively shaggy pile is arranged in an oval ecru lattice creating pumpkin yellow – orange reserves, forming a background for stick figures of peasants wielding pitchforks, baskets, staves and slings for seeding. Some could be construed as ancient military figures with shields.

The pictorial tradition in Scandinavian Rya and Rollakan pile and flat-weave, rugs and carpets is more than two centuries old, and in fact probably had an origin back in Mediaeval times.

Stock ID 19728
Swedish Rya
6’6” x 9’9”
circa 1950

https://antiquerugstudio.com/rya/19728

The open light rose field of this 1930s Austrian Art Nouveau Vienna Werkstätte carpet is bounded by a narrow stripe of alternating squares and rectangles. The general effect is minimal yet colorful. The carpet does not have a design in competition with the art and other furnishings, but it easily holds its own in any context.

Stock ID 19280
Austrian Art Deco
9’4” x 13’6”
circa 1930

https://antiquerugstudio.com/art-deco-european/19280

This space features a mid 20th century Ecuadorian carpet designed by Olga Fisch which is an abstracted and minimalist design in neutral tones – inspired by the Nazca Lines of Peru.

The “Nazca Lines” are ancient Peruvian, but they have inspired the drawing on this Moderne New World carpet. The vast majority of Ecuadorian carpets display active, schematic human figures and animals, generally in dark tones contrasting with cream, borderless grounds. This is the only known carpet by this designer executed in a totally abstract, minimalist manner.

Stock ID 24599
Ecuadorian
12’4” x 17’3”
circa 1960

https://antiquerugstudio.com/ecuadorian-/24599

We hope you’ve been inspired by these lovely and eclectic views, and will contact us when you’re ready to act on your inspiration.

Fun Find | Tiny Pricks Project

As described on their website, Tiny Pricks started as a public art project created and curated by Diana Weymar. Contributors from around the world began stitching Donald Trump’s words into textiles, creating the material record of his presidency and of the movement against it. Tiny Pricks Project holds a creative space in a tumultuous political climate. The collection counterbalances the impermanence of Twitter and other social media, and Trump’s statements as president through the use of textiles that embody warmth, craft, permanence, civility, and a shared history. The daintiness and integrity of each piece stand in stark contrast to his presidency.

Over time the movement has evolved into an array of political quotes, messages, statements, and opinions, as well as messages of peace, love, and inspiration. The creative process of stitching statements of importance that make us feel something, whatever that may be, continues to expand and grow in fascinating ways.

See more work by this collective of artists on the Tiny Pricks Project instagram page.

Fiber Artist | Breeyn McCarney

We are just loving Breeyn’s unique work. Using a method of embroidery called tambour she builds embellishments onto mesh that jumps off the “hoop” at you.

Tambour embroidery is a traditional technique that utilizes a specialist tool called the tambour hook. This tool is used to quickly create a basic chain stitch and can be very versatile when applying different embellishments, such as beads, sequins, feathers, etc. 

With this technique Breeyn builds up three dimensional imagery that is often dark, definitely whimsical, and connects with story, myth, and symbolism.

Want to see more of her work? Check her instagram page @breeynmccarney

*all images copyright Breeyn McCarney.

Fun Find | Ramazan Can – To Feel at Home

After viewing the half-neon half-carpet works of Ramazan Can, Rahul Kumar remarks, “I was drawn to the works of Can at the gallery Anna Laudel’s presentation at Art Dubai 2022. A tapestry that I was later told is an original, used piece that belonged to the family of Can, was juxtaposed with neon lights, outlining some of the patterns of the carpet itself. The work was dichotomous – old and new, quiet and bold, handmade and industrial – all at once.”

He later interviewed the artist to discuss his work and personal history even further. As stated by Can, in an attempt to deal with the temporal flow of the act of extinction (past-present) and from the opposite (present-past) such half-carpet half-neon works emerged.

My personal favorite of this series is “Always Waited for Tomorrow”. There’s something about the juxtaposition of old and new is incredibly compelling as is, but adding the ‘loading’ bar connects it even more to the idea of temporal flow between past and present.

If you’d like to go more in depth behind the art, the interview by Rahul Kumar is very informative.

*All photos copyright Ramazan Can.

Silvia Furmanovich | Silk Road Jewelry

“Four men tossed a silk carpet into the air, and as it floated to the ground I envisioned a pair of earrings.” These are the words Silvia said to Jill Newman of Town and Country Magazine, in reference to her impressions of the Uzbek weavers of Bukhara easily throwing silken carpets around like feathers during a month long journey through the country.

The incredible woven art jewelry to come of this trip empowers Uzbek women artisans in the production of miniature versions of the woven stories they have been creating throughout their lives – replicating symbols and patterns dear to their hearts – and working in a smaller scale than they had ever worked before.

These women mastered the art of working small. Each set of earrings they produce are meticulously handcrafted on a loom, and contain almost 2,000 knots per earring.

Silvia’s work includes the craftsmanship of many other cultures, empowering artisans and respecting traditions in new and beautiful ways.

*all images via Silvia Furmanovich

Symbols of Luck

There are many symbols found in antique carpets which are representative of luck, fortune, abundance, and prosperity. Here we offer a short list, and a few examples of rugs utilizing these design elements.

Herati

Herati pattern

A pattern that derives its name from the city of Herat in Northwestern Afghanistan. It is an extremely common design found mainly on handmade carpets from Iran. It is comprised of a flower surrounded by acanthus-leaves. These leaves are sometimes called “flying fishes”, because of the similarity in shape.

The pattern is often used in designs with an all over repeated pattern, though lends itself nicely into lozenges or medallions of rugs with open fields or other simple ground layouts.

Dragon

Dragon

In Chinese culture dragons are symbols of great power, good luck, and strength which dates back to at least 3000BCE. They are significantly associated with prosperity, good harvest, health, and wealth.

Many Chinese New Year celebrations begin with the dragon dance as a symbolic request for prosperity in the coming cycle.

Stars & Crosses

cross

Star

Stars and crosses are protective motifs, found in rugs of varying origins, which connote happiness, offer protection agains evil, catastrophes, or ill will.

Birds

Ghashgaie birds

Whether it’s a phoenix, an eagle, a peacock or a dove, most birds symbolize good luck, power, happiness and love. There are some birds, however, such as ravens and owls, which mean bad luck and death.

Some rugs, such as the Persian Ghashgaie, contain flocks of small birds scattered throughout what would otherwise be the negative space in a carpets design.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate

The pomegranate with its many gem like seeds is used to portray luck in fertility and abundance, and is often displayed half open, with its seeds visible – an indication of its existence as a fruit of plenty.

The fascinating thing about the use of this fruit in woven art is that while it is is native to most Near Eastern and Mediterranean regions, it most often a feature in Central Asian rugs, such as Khotans.

Stay tuned for more descriptions and examples of further rug symbols!

Rudolf Stingel | Venice Biennale Art Fair – Palazzo Grassi Exhibit

Rudolf Stingel is an artist who focuses on exploring the relationship between art, space, and the viewer. He wants his installations to be interactive; to evoke emotion and depth of thought.

Palazzo Grassi is divided into 40 rooms and has 5,000 square meters of exhibition floor. The 2013 the show by Rudolf Stingel was a solo exhibition in which Stingel aimed to create an experience which draws upon the history of the city of Venice via a space which was built in the 16th century and passed through the hands of many noble families before being purchased in 2005 for use as a space to exhibit art.

His synthetic rendition of antique carpet is fabricated in larger than life scale, and covers every surface of every room in the building, playing with the various scales of his contemporary artworks, which stand out from the hues of the backdrop via their grey, white, and black palette in the same way that the openings of the building frame views of the city.

The exhibit touches on Sigmund Freud’s early 20th Century Viennese study with the exhibit of art suggesting presences that are ‘buried’ in memory, and removed experiences that thrive again. The carpet design itself replicates one of the carpets on the floor of Sigmund Freud’s study.

*Photo credit: Stefan Altenburger.

Sweet Textiles

Alana Jones-Mann, baker and designer, is well known for decorating cakes that resemble shag rugs – but her love for textiles and patterns shines through on the occasional treat which resembles other woven arts (such as antique rugs or cultural tapestries).

Mann’s attention to detail when creating these delicacies is noteworthy – replicating the length or thickness or direction of woven threads in the same manner expressed in the original artwork.

Here are a few of our favorites.

Antique Persian Rug
Each individually piped dot of buttercream in this artists rendition of a classic Persian design was kept low and compact to reflect the nature of the rug’s pile.

Vintage Moroccan Rug
Here Mann left the top of the cake blank to play off the elongated shape of the runner she was representing. Note the somewhat longer effect of the piped icing – to reflect the pile length common in Moroccan rugs.

Antique Moroccan Rug
While Mann did not share a reference photo for this cake, we are able to compare it in style to one in our own inventory. Her skill at taking the most important elements of a busy design to incorporate into a cake sized pattern is evident.

Shag
Just a few of the many playful cakes that capture the spirit of the 1970s shag style rugs via color and free flowing form.

Natural Fiber Flatweave
One of a series of rug cakes decorated for a spread in Elle Decor representing their selection of the season’s best rugs.

Inspired by Mexico
Mann talks about how growing up close to Mexico allowed the traditions and art to be a major inspiration to her. Here she pays tribute to that culture with her master craft by representing Oaxacan embroidery and Otomi patterns from Hidalgo in the sweetest way possible.

Bargello Needlepoint Inspired
Bargello needlework is a type of embroidery laid in mathematical patterns to create motifs. These patterns are usually tight, busy, and colorful. Head over to Mann’s instagram page to see the trippy effect that happens when you spin one of these cakes.

Danish Arts & Crafts
A tribute to the folk arts of Danmark, which also feels very much like a patchwork quilt.

Be sure to check out more of her delectable designs on her instagram @alanajonesmann.
All images ©Alana Jones-Mann.