As seen in Wallpaper Magazine, Kelly Behun was asked to design the first model residence at The Whiteley – housed in a historic former department store near Hyde Park, London – and reimagined by Foster + Partners Architects into a project comprised of 139 apartments as well as a Six Senses hotel & spa; all a short walk from Hyde Park.
Kelly used Chinese carpets in a few of the spaces – the perfect accompaniment to her punchy and eclectic style. Bold color and reflective surfaces juxtapose soft tones and subtle textures for a cohesive space which communicates harmony through contrast.
The moody sophistication of color rich spaces connect with the peacefully cultured opposition of the living areas - a yin and yang of energies for work and life. Richly subdued colors in the artwork, the accents, and the carpets bridge the two vibes.
Ready to get bold in your home? Here’s a whole pile of comparables for you to bring that Kelly Behun look to your floor.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
“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.
In the history of material culture we find ourselves studying the evolution of art through utilitarian objects – furniture, woven goods, pottery, etc. all fall into this category. It was not merely enough to make something useful – humans from cultures around the world were compelled to make objects that served a purpose, but were also beautiful. Through these items, the evolution of design is studied.
In the world of woven goods, carpets are obviously utilitarian items, but have long since their origin become more connected to the decorative realm of the design world – we no longer NEED carpets to cover our floors, but we still WANT them because of their aesthetic value.
But I have no intention of focusing on carpets in this essay; here my focus will be woven utilitarian objects of the collectible nature – tent bands, horse covers, bag faces, etc. It is the incredible decorative execution of these items, which serve a labor intensive purpose, that captivates my attention and imagination. Why put such intricate effort into a piece of a bag that will carry grain, or a strap that will hold one’s tent together? It is this special connectedness to utilitarian arts which fascinates collectors and art historians around the globe, and gives these items lasting historical value.
Tent Bands
It should seem obvious from the name of these straps what their intended purpose was, but they were actually so much more than that – they were multipurpose items; used and reused in a plethora of ways. Yes, they were used to brace support beams of nomadic tent structures, but they were also used to tie goods onto the backs of work animals, and as instruments of fun (being hung over a tree branch they could be used as a swing).
Although many nomadic peoples used decorative tent bands, it seems that the inhabitants of Central Asia are the ones who used them most – certainly as a structural component for yurts. The interesting thing about decorative tent bands, is that they were more of a luxury than a necessity, as pointed out by expert Richard Isaacson:
“They didn’t have to have bands. In fact, in Mongolia the tents have a piece of rope…Still, the people in Central Asia love decoration; they live in this very sparsely decorated, difficult, arid climate, and they find some way to make beauty. And they do that in this case by decorating these bands and making them something very special and an important part of their heritage.”
-Richard Isaacson (Central Asian tent band expert)
Below you can see one incredible piece of tent band art that we have in our collection. At 37’7″ long, this Yamoud tent band has the length to incorporate a variety of design elements, each section executed skillfully in line with the Baluch Turkmen tradition. To view this band on our website, click here.
Horse Covers
#22032 Senneh Horse Cover – circa 1880
What exactly is the purpose of a horse cover? It is the piece of material which sits between the horse and the saddle – to avoid chafing the horses skin. In some, more tribal, groups it may have been used in lieu of a saddle.
Used in a plethora of places around the world, this woven item is an ode to mankind’s historic dependency on horses – especially in tribal or agrarian cultures. It is a way of displaying social or military status, as well as the importance of one’s relationship with their horse.
In China, India, Persia, and Turkey the creation of horse covers as items of rank were only allowed to be woven by skilled members of guilds after many years of training and apprenticeship. Alternatively, in tribal cultures such as those of the Caucasus, nomadic tribes of Turkey and Persia, and Berber tribes of Morocco the women were likely the weavers; and while the end product may not have signified rank within these groups, they often contained symbols of protection and good fortune.
Because of the nature of their use, as well as sociopolitical happenings, only so many of these items pre first quarter of the 20th century exist today.
Many of these covers that displayed badges of rank were intentionally destroyed during times of war to protect the owner and their families from harm. During the Chinese revolution dignitaries and military officials burned items with their insignias to prevent capture and/or death.
Below you can see some of our Chinese horse covers, arranged in order from oldest to newest. To see our full collection of Chinese horse covers, click here.
Bag Faces
Though the most common type of bag face that we are familiar with in the western world are saddlebags, storage sacks and bedding bags are also common use items that fall into this category. Saddle bags are constructed of two decorative pouches connected by a center bridge. In Western Anatolian Turkey it was common to elongate this center bridge and add a slit that could be slipped over a person’s head and used as shopping bags in the marketplace – making them a multipurpose item.
When you think about it, bags simply need to contain things for transport; so why make them decorative? Due to the small scale of these items, weaving them encouraged experimentation with pattern, technique, and color. Perhaps they were used as practice for larger scale items, or as a teaching tool for young weavers; or perhaps people simply love beautiful objects. The latter may be confirmed by the fact that once the undecorated woven backs of these sacks became badly worn, the ornamented faces were removed and kept as family heirlooms.
Woven decorative bags were most often used by tribal and nomadic cultures throughout the Middle Eastern Oriental world. Over time as nomadic people began to settle into village life and turned to oriental rug production the output of utilitarian objects such as bag faces began to diminish. This is why it is extremely rare to find recent examples of such objects.
Due to their creative expression and utilitarian history bag faces have become a collectible item sought after by lovers of history and culture around the world.
If you’re looking to view some antique utilitarian art, search our website or contact us to find the perfect item for your collection.
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.
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.
Wool and Silk pattern wefts on wool warp; warps/inch.
Beauvais, French Royal Tapestry Workshop under the direction of Nicolas Besnier and Jean – Baptiste Oudry (1734-1753), or A.C. Charron (1753-1780).
Designed by Francois Boucher
Subject: La Musique (Music) No. 9 of a set of 14 panels “Fetes Italiennes” or “Italian Scenes”, showing peasants and working-class folk with a few panels displaying members of the upper classes at play. “Music” is one of these.
Boucher’s original drawings for Music (and other tapestries as well) are in The Stadelkunst Institute (Frankfort, Germany), and in a private collection in Paris.
This was Boucher’s first tapestry design commission for the Beauvais factory. His other work includes the “Nobles Pastorales” series in the 1750’s.
There is no complete set of all 14 tapestries extant and no complete set was ever woven for a single client. The present panel lacks a mark in the outer plain blue border, now excised and replaced by a later restoration. The mark would have given the place (Beauvais) and either Besnier’s or Charron’s name.
The entire set of the “Fetes Italiennes” comprises:
Le Operateur (The Charlatan)
La Bohemienne (The Gypsy Fortune Teller)
Les Pecheuses (The Fishing Girls)
Les Chasseurs (The Hunting Boys)
La Curiosite (Curiosity)
Les Filles aux Raisins (Girls Gathering Grapes)
La Danse (Dance)
La Collation (The Luncheon)
La Musique (Music)
Le Jardinier (The Gardener)
La Bergere
La Cabaretier (The Inn Keeper)
Le Perroquet (The Parrot)
Le Marchant d’Oeufs (The Eggseller)
Of the Fetes Italiennes, No. 9, Music was executed eleven times: 1745, 1746, 1750 4 times, 1751 twice, 1753 twice. 1754.
There was a partial set of six panels including Music sold in Paris, M.X…Collection, Galerie Georges Petit, 23.5.27 and all are illustrated in the catalogue. The version of Music, lot 2 is shorter, 3.15 m. height, 2.90 m. long.
Only the right half of the whole composition appears, ending just to the left of the outstretched arm of the cellist in the center. The trellised garden ledge and tower, along with two figures are not present. Our panel is 8’ 8” longer than the 1927 example. The double guilloche border is common to both versions and is one of the standard Beauvais borders used as late as 1774. It also appears in the set in N.Y.
The sizes and subjects of the X … Collection pieces are as follows:
Dance 3.10 m x 4.75 m Music 3.15 m x 2.90 m Hunters 3.10 m x 2.75 m Fishers 3.10 m x 2.0 m Entrefenetre 3.05 m x 1.45 m Entrefenetre 3.10 m x 1.40 m
Music is therefore, in its original form, the largest of the set.
The 1927 catalogue notes that there are longer replicas of Music with the additional personages to left. This variation and reduction of scenes is not uncommon and because of the weaving process, here from right to left, is easy to accomplish. The process proceeds horizontally, and the weavers can start or stop at any point in the cartoon.
Panel no. 9, Music, was woven in:
1745 for M. Gautier (nos. 7, 8, 9) 1746 for General Sale (nos. 7-10) 1750 for M. d’Aremberg (nos. 7-10) 1750 for Sueden (nos. 7, 9, 10) 1750 for M. Lalande (nos. 2, 8-10) 1750 for General Sale (nos. 1-4, 7-10) 1751 for M. Thibault (nos.1,3,4,7,9,10) 1751 for M. de Vermonoye (nos.7-9) 1753 for M. Duvocel (nos. 9-11) 1753 for Mme. Geoffrin (nos. 4,7-10) 1754 for M. Marchant (nos. 3,4,9,11)
Since our panel employs the full cartoon, it was likely one of the earlier editions, possibly as early as 1745 or 1746.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY has 9 pieces including one duplicate slightly expanded to left. Music is not included. Standen is in error in stating that the Met’s set is complete.
The series is internally stylistically coherent and some of the same figures and scenic elements are reused. For example, Music and The Gardener (no. 10) both employ the same trellised garden walls and the female in profile in The Gardener reappears almost exactly as the central girl close to the cellist in Music. The putti riding dolphins in the fountain at the right of Music reappears in other examples of Boucher’s work. The rustic leaning on the ledge is of the same laborer social class as The Gardener in no. 10. The dimensions of “Music” are the greatest for any of the series and although it is unknown how many of the eleven editions of this design were produced in the fully extended large format, it was clearly a special creation. No armorial device was ever present. Sets were often split and recombined, and it is not possible to trace all the editions on individual panels.
Condition:
There has been selective color fading, but the reds have held up very well. The condition is quite good and splitting is minor. The silk has been replaced. The borders have been shaved on the edges with the loss of any marks in the plain dark slip. The plain strip has been replaced at the ends.
References:
Jules Badin, Le Manufacture de Tapisseriede Beauvais, Paris, 1909. The full chronology of all series is given, and it is still the essential primary source work.
Edith Standen, European Post-Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, 2 Vols. Italian Village Scenes (Fetes Italiennes), No. 78 pp 507-533.
Trois Siecles de Tapisserie de Beauvais, Beauvais, 1964.
Antique Rug Studio 