Weird, neat, cool.
For many wheelchair users, finding transportation can be challenging and even expensive. Manual wheelchair owners can often use regular cars but have to hoist themselves into the vehicle and then fold up and store their wheelchair, which is difficult, time-consuming, and nearly impossible in the rain or snow. Meanwhile, custom vans with wheelchair lifts can cost upward of $100,000. Thankfully, this new electric car is giving wheelchair users a new, easy, and affordable way to get around!
Love isn't luck, it's really hard work. Many ideas thanks to this classic Metafilter thread.
You can go ahead and keep your bourgeois "life hacks."
Connected home gadgets were everywhere at CES 2017 -- we saw WiFi cameras, smart walking canes and Echo clones aplenty. But while several of them were truly ...
iRobot CEO Colin Angle says his company will bring a home-mapping robot to market by the end of the year.
Oh, dry food for dinner again. How exotic. Much Love - Virgin Mobile
A post explaining the pro's and con's of using mobility aids, when any how to start using mobility aids. Written from a dual perspective.
Selma Blair was gifted a mobility bike after experiencing pain from using a cane — details
joining the cripple punk movement. got a year full of MRIs and surgeries ahead of me for my knees and shoulders! trying not to feel ashamed of my cane anymore.
Selma Blair, 46, was spotted stepping out in a white shirt dress as she enjoyed an outing in Studio City, California on Friday.
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Appliqué is an ancient textile technique,with which fabrics of any size or shape can be manufactured.It does not require a loom,and was probably developed as a repair method. The oldest known example is a leather tomb canopy from the 21st Dynasty in Egypt,circa 1040 BC,which is 5-700 years earlier than the Royal felts at Pazyryk 1-Courtesy Edward Loring,CESRAS Now stored in a large wooden case in the Egyptian Museum,Cairo,the Baldachin was discovered in 1881 in the Royal Tomb complex at Thebes.It was designed to cover the funerary remains of one Isetemkheb B,the daughter of a High Priest of Amun.The “Box” measures 280x240x216 cms(length x width x height)The shrine was examined in 2007 by a team of Russian archaeologists under the supervision of Edward Lorring,who concluded that the top and sides were all contemporary,and from the same workshop.The Baldachin has now been entombed in its case for more than a hundred years,but Cesras has obtained funds for its conservation,after which this important textile can go on show. 2 3 4-All fotos courtesy of Edward Loring,Cesras The fascinating story behind this unique object can be read in full HERE And a Flickr Foto Gallery can be viewed HERE 5-From:The Funeral tent of an Egyptian Queen There are no extent Mamluk tents,but after the Ottoman takeover in Egypt in 1517,doubtless numerous examples found their way to Istanbul as war-booty.The Mamluks were no strangers to Appliqué 6-The woolen Blazon of Jukandar 7-Benaki Museum The Blazon illustrated is executed in the couched Appliqué style,with a white cord outlining hiding the stitch.The Benaki example is a simple hemmed Appliqué ,of the type most commonly used on Egyptian-Ottoman War-Tents 8-Atasoy,page 191,use of leather strips The above example,from a tent-wall in Istanbul,features both types,with the couched style used in the upper border. Apart from the large collection of tents in the Topkapi,and in the Istanbul and Ankara Military Museums,many more example survive in European collections.Starting from the late 17th Century,many pieces were acquired as war-booty,although some were acquired from antiquarian sources,such as the great Dresden tent,or even purchased in Turkey.Not a military leader who was present at the second siege of Vienna on September 12 1683,and who came away without a Turkish tent;not a museum without a tent once in the possession of the unfortunate Kara Mustapha,Grand Wazir and mastermind behind the 2nd siege of Vienna .The subsequent skirmishes on the Ottoman-Hapsburg demarcation line and the capture of tents defined the outer limits of Turkish power in Europe. The majority of surving tents from the 17th and 18th century are in a style defined by Ottoman sources as "Egyptian" It seems that Selim II drained all possible resources from the artisan`s guilds in Egypt after 1517.For a certain time Egyptian Masters would have transmitted their know-how to Ottoman employees in the Meterhane,or Corps of the Imperial Tent Pitchers and Tentmakers.This formed the basis style of all known Ottoman tents,with variations depending on degrees of luxury. The Mamluke Sultan`s tent is described as all-red in colour,and a 19th century example in Istanbul is perhaps a throwback 9-Atasoy-77 Istanbul is rich in complete tents,but also harbours a large number of single pieces(i.e sides,walls,canopies,roofs etc)One pitched example is from the 17th century with hemmed Appliqué 10-Atasoy page 163 It is a double-column tent without struts 11-Atasoy page 85 and an intricate border design 12-Atasoy 164b Note how the Appliqué is piled on top of itself,pyramid-style. Typical border elements also include the swirling sufi design,well-known from a group of Turkish carpets 13-Bausback 1983,page 39 14-Istanbul But whose origins lay in far-flung places 15-Siyah Qalem and the double-helix 16-Atasoy page 200 17 18-Bad Wildungen,Kassel,Germany The reader will have noticed how often the name"Atasoy" has fallen here,and without Professor Atasoy`s book this essay could have not have been penned.In 2000 she published the standard work on the subject:"Otağ-ı-Hümayun"(The Ottoman Imperial tent Complex)However,she was unable to inspect the Dresden tent collection at the time,which has subsequently been restored and put on show.There are a number of tents in Dresden,including complete examples,baldachins,roof tops and single side pieces.The most important is Y364,code-name Kiyowsky,a tent so large that a horse can be driven through it 19-The Kiyowsky-from Schuckelt,Osmanische Zelte Acquired in 1729,it was finally unveiled in 2010 with an illumination of 1001 lights 20 21-Die Türkische Cammer,page 314 22-The Dresden Armoury Tent,20 mtrs long,8 mtrs wide,and 6 mtrs high 23 A second tent roof at Dresden is notable for its sampling of classical Turkish embroidery 24 25 26 27 Dresden also has a number of Tuğ,or horse-hair standards,which were put up in front of high-ranking tent-owners as a mark of status.They are artworks in themselves 28 29 A recurring theme in the tent environment are the rows of Mihrabs plastering the inner chamber,like multiple tents within a tent.Atasoy records all kinds of tents and their functions-bath and toilet tents,ablution tents,even execution tents-but nowhere is mention made of Prayer tents.That the common soldier would have prayed in the open is self-evident,but surely the aristocracy would have had private prayer arrangements,for sufi gatherings,and for the Sultan and his entourage to steel themselves through prayer,before battle? The Dresden tent is a supreme example of Otağ.Another masterpiece has been pitched at Wawel Castle in Cracow since 1933 30 It is famed for its legendary blueness 31-Atasoy,page 245 But looks even more imposing in black and white 32-Les collections du Wawel-236-The blue tent The second tent at Wawel is a contrast in red 33-Hali 37-34-The red tent 34 Further examples are the Marquee in the Czartoryski Museum in Cracow,which is a melange of 17th and 18th century styles 35-Atasoy 243 and whose flanks are curiously reminiscent of a Kurdish or Khorasan carpet once in the Kevorkian Collection 36-Kevorkian A charming 18th century tent is in the Kornik Library Warsaw 37-Atasoy page 248 Its Fleur de Lys border recalls the exquisite Ottoman panel sold at Christies London on 6 October 2011 for $133,500,almost too small to have been part of a tent 38-Christies Islamic 6 October 2011-Lot 324 39-Eothen Austrian Collections are surprisingly lacking in Ottoman tents.The two most well known are both in the Arsenal,Vienna 40-Hali 37-31 41-Atasoy The above was once the tent of Damad Ali Pasha 42-The Arsenal,Vienna A third example is the Esterhazy Tent in Forchtenstein Castle 43 In Lvov,Ukraine,the History Museum has a number of important examples,including a roof piece 44-Lvov which resembles the side panels on the Tent in Bad Wildungen,Kassel 45-Kassel and which automatically recalls the solitary Mamluk Saf in Chicago A fragment from the Karlsruhe "Turkish Booty" Collection is refined and Persianate in expression 47-Karlsruhe a quality which can still be found in later Qajar tents 48-Sothebys London April 1991-Lot 12 Munich once had five tents,but all are lost except for one large roof-piece in the Ethnographic Museum 49-Atasoy page 266 A marvellous tent is apparently still held in the Naval Museum,Venice 50-Atasoy,page 287 In customary beast-of-prey manner,European leaders often took tents as booty from one another,which had once been appropriated from the Turk 51-Atasoy 149 The above taken fom the Polish King Augustus the Strong at the Battle of Klissow in 1702 by Charles XII,now at the Army Museum in Stockholm. A lesser known tent is in the Royal Armoury,Madrid,and is said to have been a gift from Sultan Süleyman to King Francis I of France,from whom it was captured by Charles V at the Battle of Pavia(1525)and then taken to the Royal Palace.However,this tent may not be so old. 52-Royal Armoury,Madrid The roof ornamentation is similar to late 19th and 20th century Egyptian Khyamiya 53-Madrid 54-Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia The Budapest Museum tent used to be kitted out with Transylvanian rugs 55-Atasoy,page 279 Such a cache of rugs would be too heavy to transport,even by Ottoman standards,and so felt mosaic carpets were probably in use 56-Karlsruhe-before 1683 The above part of the "Turkish Booty" from Markgraf Ludwig Wilhelm, aka "Turkish-Louie" The technique is also a kind of reversed applique,or inlay 57-Islamische Kunst-Eothen,page 98 The Balkans region seemed to have specialised in similar felt carpets,which were also manufactured in Resht,Persia 58-Banya Luka-Michael Franses The historical importance of the Turkish war-tents is that they can be dated quite accurately,at least in terms of their terminus ante quem.During the Ottoman campaigns besieged towns would be engulfed by a sea of tents,whose visual impact was paramount and intimidating. 59-Atasoy,page 182-Istanbul After the rout of the Ottoman armies at Kahlenberg,the Polish King Jan Sobieski sat musing in the tent of his adversary Kara Mustapha.He wrote to his wife”...it is impossible to describe the refined luxury which prevails in the tents of the Wazir.Baths,little gardens,fountains,rabbit warrens and even a parrot...The Wazir had taken a beautiful ostrich from a royal castle and had had its head cut off so that it would not fall again into the hands of the Christians...it is impossible to describe everything that belongs to my booty” Carpets undoubtedly belonged to those Spoils,as Erdmann noted,and a particular group of Tent kilims has been isolated.Notable amongst them is the piece in the Bavarian Army Museum,Ingolstadt,which is said to have been taken at the Battle of Mohacs in 1683,alongside this tent 60-Ingolstadt There is no proof,however,that the kilim accompanied the captured tent : as a foto from Belkis Balpinar shows,it was too large to fit 61-Rageth-page 196 Nevertheless a classic of its type,the group is characterised by its large sizes,coarse shiny wool,S-spinning and dovetail kelim technique,presumably acquired from the Egyptian Copts. 62-Ingolstadt This imposing kilim(4,80 x 5,80 cms!)seems never to have been published in full.It relates to another piece from the Gümüshlu Mosque 63-Hali 6-1-16 A third example,also with double helix/trefoil borders,is in the Vakflar 64-Balpinar/Hirsch 118 and one last example,once with Jürg Rageth,and in a similar style,was initially declared as Anatolian 65-Islamische Kunst,Eothen,p.97 In the foto,it appears to have a Z-S Spun warp.Weft spinning cannot be determined.Hali reports the sale of a further fragment from the same kilim at Rippon Boswell in 2010(Sale 25 September,lot 114)with S-spinning.Thus it is an Egyptian Kilim.The apparent Z-spun warp can only be the result of reversed transparencies in the original printed catalogue from 2000 66-Hali 166-121-Alberto Levi on Rugrabbit This tiny fragment,measuring 0.20 x 0.36 cms,sold for $7,195,a measure of its importance. Two kilims with allover palmette designs,possibly derived from Scutari velvets,were discovered in Beyshehir and Divrigi.The Beyshehir piece has already been discussed in these pages- Beyshehir 67-THC Kilims-1 The second fragment with an allover design,but without lattice,was found at Divrigi amongst a group of other important carpets.Both rugs have the typical tent border 68-Balpinar/Hirsch-115 Leading on from these,but surely later and artistically less ambitious are a group of five kilims,blueground with yellow and an otherwise restrained palette,which have all appeared at auction since 2005 69-Sothebys 12 October 2005-Lot 7-sold for 2400 pounds A further two pieces sold within one day of each other in London 70-Christies 16 April 2007-Lot 3-sold for 2160 pounds 71-Sothebys 17 April 2007-Lot 12-sold for 2040 pounds A further example sold at Rippon Boswell on the 26 September 2009 72-RB Lot 207 And a fifth example appeared at the time of writing 73-Rippon Boswell 25 May 2013.Lot 46 No technical information is available for these items,which are surely much later than the seminal group-possibly copied elsewhere.They share the long elems and narrow borders. A design with addorsed sickle-leaf has come down to us 74-Balpinar Hirsch 114 A prayer carpet is also known,with a typical tent mihrab design 75-Petsopoulos-Tulips,Arabesques-page 154 Its inscribed cartouches await translation. A fragment in Berlin has been described as Mamluk on stylistic grounds,although no technical information exists.It is presumably S-Spun 76-Enderlein-Orientalische Kelims-Abb.5 Another piece from perhaps the same kilim surfaced with Augusto Rillosi 77-Hali 93-135 A further fragment was discovered in Anatolia and C-14 dated to the 10th century.With S-Spinning 78-Rageth,Carbon Dating-207 The difference between slit-kilim and dovetail is akin to that between the Turkish and Persian knot. The most important group of Egyptian kilims are those with medallion design,the majority of which were found at the Great Mosque in Divrigi. Mostly surviving in fragmentary condition,they nevertheless bridge the gap between the Cairene carpet tradition and that of the Safavid silk kilims.Imbued with the zesty War-tent character,they influenced the Karapinar"ribbon"style carpets of the 17th and 18th centuries. The supreme example is a fragment with three medallion design 79-Balpinar-Hirsch 112-433x142 cms Replete with Lotus-Palmettes,Penny Oakley has commented on the occurrence of rear-view floral motifs with crossed sepals,a feature later appearing in the Karapinar carpet group. 80 The border is an adaptation from the Safavid silk kilims,appearing also in large carpets,but combined with the tent trefoil. 81-Kuwait The cartouche familiar from Safavid carpets is an Egyptian invention.Inklings of the medallion form,which surely also anticipates the classic Salor Choval Göl,can be found in Coptic weavings of the 4th century 82 A second large fragment in the Vakflar Museum sports a double helix border 83-Balpinar/Hirsch 117 yet a third fragment with generous drawing is a terrible loss 84-Balpinar/Hirsch 116 These kilims are very large.One more or less complete piece has survived 85-Hali 6-1-14-395 x 235 cms with a field design of sickle-leaves and tulips.The dyes on these kilims have faded.Beige tones and former red dyes now mingle together distorting the initial colour palette.This is perhaps due to the presence of logwood-type dyes(Bakkam,in Turkish) Four fragments of a medallion kilim also surfaced in 1991(see Hali 152-123)Their chroma is much more pronounced,with a draughtmanship more fastidious than the above cited examples.They are respectively in the Musee Guimet,the Sadberk Hanim Museum,the Wolf Collection,and the David Collection in Copenhagen 86-Musee Guimet-Hali 152 87-Sadberk Hanim Museum-Hali 166-46 88-Wolf Collection-Hali 92-104 The David Collection item consists of a last corner piece,two border sections-and a piece of field,suggesting that it was a whiteground floral kilim of the Rageth group 89-David Collection 90-David Collection Copenhagen 91-Cairene carpet fragment-Textile Museum A large quirky patchwork of a medallion carpet was described as East Anatolian in the Kestner Museum catalogue.Its medallion has been reduced in the width 92-Kestner Museum Nr.7 Two further examples segue over into the "Karapinar"group of carpets with ribbon-like decoration,large blocks of colour,and outlining(when at all)in colour,and not in black 93-Berlin (Hali 166-47) 94-Rupea-Ionescu 236 The Rupea kilim is lacking in blue apart from some sewn on areas from another piece,but its connection to the " Konya Plain "Karapinar rugs is striking 95-Hali 61-173 96-Franz Sailer The Sailer carpet was sold at Sothebys Olympia on 16 October 2002(Lot 45) for $34,535(see Hali 126-132)Another runner sold at Christies on May 1 2003,Lot 158 for $ 57,360,has a better use of white but some annoying field elements 97-Christies 2003 And a third carpet,also from Franz Sailer,has just one medallion and sold for $56,035 in 2006 98-Rippon Boswell 20 May 2006-Lot139 Art seems to imitate history in a kilim from the Wolf Collection,which has been influenced by carpets from the Tent/Kilim tradition,even to its Khyamiyah border 99-Hali 165-59 A larger group of medallion carpets with Tulip design was later copied in Konya and Ladik,but with black outlining 100-Hali 34-11-More Konya 101-Anthony Thompson-Lot 128-more Ladik 102-Alberto Levi 2-3-more Mujur The apogee of weaving in this category is the Herrmann/Wher Collection fragment 103-Herrmann SOT X-Wher Collection 104-THC 2-0147 Vakflar 105-Wolf Collection-Atlantic ICOC 26 Five runnners complete the Group 106-Rijksmuseum Amsterdam,ex van Otten 107-Textile Museum 108-Sothebys 26 April 1995-Lot 185;Rippon Boswell May 2007-Lot 81 109-ex-Bernheimer The above was sold at Rippon Boswell on 12 November 1994(Lot 140) for $111,725,and later re-offered on 17 October 1996(Lot 419) at Christies London(estimate $ 32,00-47,000) A fourth item was offered at Rippon Boswell on 20 November 2004,Lot 152,estimate 90,000 euro 110-Rippon Boswell 2004 A third type of Tulip medallion rug,now in the al-Sabah Collection,Kuwait,was first sold at Sothebys on 29 April 1981(Lot 121) 111 It passed to Eskenazi,who illustrated it in 1982 112 and lately Dr.Spuhler,in his catalogue to the Kuwait Collection,printed a further closeup 113 The carpet is notable for its abstract style and undeniable dramatic quality. Not satisfied with having one piece,John Eskenazi later illustrated a second example 114-Hali 108 As iconic as the first,but more relaxed. A last batch of rugs in the Tulip Medallion Group is spearheaded by a charismatic item once in the collection of American dealer Dennis Dodds 115-Hali 51-199 A splendid yastik from Ronnie Newman 116-Hali 54-145 An example from the Chris Alexander Collection 117-Alexander 335 A fragment from Bernard Voloder 118-Hali 58-162 With a border silmilar to a rug illustrated by Heinrich Jacoby in 1923 119 A third whiteground piece once with Bertram Frauenknecht 120-Hali 63,page 1 A carpet published in Nr 3 of the THC Catalogue series evinces all the Karapinar features,but with added black outlining 121-THC 3-0290 A runner at Rippon Boswells in 2004 again combines the ribbon effect with black outlining,and paves the way to the 19th century,as does a smaller Konya carpet from Peter Toliday 122-RB 64-172 123-ACOR 04-5 The last group with Tulip Medallions(or pommegranates,according to some)starts with a bang and ends with a wimper.The following piece obviously held some fascination for Hali`s ardent APG crew,as they reviewed it three times,in Hali 66-151,94-132,and 155-137.Indeed,its star seemed to rise continually,having been sold in 1992 for $16,500,in 1997 for $30,890,and a second time at RB `S in 2007 for $70,560 124 The design has had a makeover,has now more black outlining and an altogether more "professional"look.The carpet has been reduced in length,and the field tulips are now encased in a Lotto-like vice.It has become exceptionally busy. This flows over into a garden or "Keyhole" type design 125-RB 17 November 2001-Lot 40 A second example demonstrates Wiesbaden`s undisputed leadership in this field 126-Rippon Boswell 19 May 2012,Lot 135 without doubt best of this type was from Eberhart Herrmann 127-ATT 2-6 which involuntarily evokes a Central Asian carpet acquired by Mr.Herrmann three books later through the good offices of Richard Purdon 128-ATT 5 A further four examples with medallion round off this group. May Beattie found an example in the Pasha Mosque in Bor 129-Beattie 1976,page 70 130-Alberto Levi Another example once with Raymond Benardout later passed to Roger Cavanagh 131-Hali 121-57 and the last piece was offered at Rippon Boswell`s on 4 December 2010-Lot 170,but failed to find a buyer at 2500€ 132-RB 2010 Yet another piece illustrated by Beattie has a strange resemblance to an 18th century "Proto-Lenkoran" Carpet from the Davies Collection,now in the MET 133-Victoria & Albert Museum 134-ex Davies Collection,MET Another tulip medallion rug with a foot in Ushak is the ex-Achdjian piece sold at Christies for $124,000 135-Christies 4 October 2011-Lot 33 A similar medallion appears on a piece in Berlin(see Hali 170-137) 136-Spuhler 24 The design occurs on the famous Cantoni carpet in Amsterdam,but the treatment is different,and the lack of outlining imbues the Cantoni with a sense of weightlessness 137-Hali 88-67 This zero-gravity effect is characteristic of the true"Karapinar" type.The majority of these pieces feature some kind of medallion,although fragments divided between Alexander and Achdjian play on an allover cartouche design,presumably adapted from grand Safavid forebears 138-Achdjian,Hali 100-74 139-Alexander page 247 140-Grogans January 2009-Lot 16 Another iconic Alexander rug is the piece with cut medallion in the Transylvanian style and leopard spots 141-Alexander page 169 A similar piece is in Istanbul 142-Ertug 4 And a third example was in the Ballard Collection 143-Ballard-Heron 79 Three items feature Chintamani and Tulip 144-THC 2-0154 145-Istanbul-Hali 166-43 The third rug in Philadelphia incorporates the allover-cartouche design 146-Ellis-Philadelphia 36 An early medallion type features an X-cross dividing the interior of the medallion into four sections 147-Istanbul-THC 4-0314 148-Alberto Levi 2-1 149-Eskenazi Hali 43 150-Hubel Collection,Beattie page 67 An ancient carpet illustrated by Jacoby has a wild overgrown border reminiscent of the Ingolstadt kilim`s jagged brambles 151-Ballard Collection-Burns,91 This relates to a carpet illustrated by Eberhart Herrmann(via M.Franses)with double medallion 152-Herrmann,ATT 5-23a a carpet which recalls the famous Vienna Calligraphy/Medallion carpet 153-MAK-Vienna A fragment in the Chris Alexander Collection is notable for its resplendent colouring 154-Alexander page 231 Eskenazi`s ungainly example serves to illustrate the uneven quality in this group 155-Hali 90-47 But McMullan`s yastik is a singular beauty 156-McMullan 109 as are two fragments in the Mevlana Lodge,Konya 157-Hali 166-45 158-Hali 166-51 A later piece illustrated in Hali 87 is bold and jolly 159 although it did not look so happy when May Beattie discovered it in the Sultan Selim mosque at Karapinar 160-Beattie,page 74 Another piece from John Eskenazi conveys the same joie de vivre,featuring the occasional use of white cotton common to many of these rugs 161-Hali 58-61 A further group of three carpets are so similar they must surely have issued from the same workshop 162-Chris Alexander page 213 The Textile Museum`s item had been published by F.R Martin in 1908 163-Hali 172-97 The third piece was illustrated by May Beattie in her 1976 article 164-Murray Graham Collection Intermediary between the earliest Karapinars and the 19th century are three carpets,the oldest of which-once with Stolp Fraser-was later sold at Sothebys for $6,415 (see Hali 66-151) 165-Sothebys October 1992-Lot 32 166-Skinners 12 October 2012-Lot 108 The above carpet,formerly with Thomas Murray,seems to bridge the gap between the Fraser carpet and a whole group of rugs,said to be from Karaman,which appear in the 19th century 167-Werner Brandl The point of entry for another type from 19th century Karapinar is the very similar medallion design and border 168-Wuhr Collection The mother of all Karapinar medallion rugs in the 19th century being a piece with Achdjian 169-Hali 2-2-15 The original medallion design perhaps taken from a Persian silk"Polonaise" carpet 170-Residenz Museum A group of five much older carpets,all quite similar,features a yellow wreath arranged around a central medallion 171-Ballard Collection Hali 124-104 172-Herrman X-17(formerly Schürmann) 173-Debureaux Aponem 19 May 2010-lot 113-$ 38,040 174-Skinners 16 December 1986-Lot 102-$25,300-later with Michael Franses 175-Rippon Boswell The above sold at Rippon Boswells on 17 May 2003 for $ 90,355,and was later re-offered at the same venue on 19 May 2012,Lot 73,where it went unsold at 35,000 euro. Further back in time,two carpets from the Alaadin Keykubat Mosque in Konya,whence also a Seljuk fragment,both feature crenallated medallions in the Egyptian Kilim style,and curious flying tulips in the field,perhaps the origins of those on the Alexander Chintamani rug 176-Hali 166-43 The chroma of the two medallion rug varies wildly 177-Hali 105-94 178-Hali 166-45 A tremendous carpet,for whose reproduction in Hali we trust 179-Hali 166-cover On 31 May 2003 Moshe Tabibnia bought the Foy Caspar Karapinar,a carpet of stupendous charisma,at Brunks Auction House in North Carolina,for $297,000 180-Hali 166-page 40 As last man standing,Mr Tabibnia got to take home one of the most exciting carpets ever sold at auction.It has a companion,the Bernheimer-Wher piece,which first sold at the Bernheimer sale on 14 February 1996(Lot 130) for $95,480(see Hali 86,page 131) 181-Bernheimer The carpet reappeared at Sothebys in 2003,some four months after the Brunks meltdown,in a stripped-away version and a reproduction which has suddenly become much greener 182-Sothebys NY 19 September 2003-Lot 31 Its off-putting estimate of $120-180,00 failed to attract a buyer,but on 16 December 2004 it was offered at the same venue and fetched $72,00(see Hali 139-115) 183-Sothebys 16 December 2004-Lot 55 The drop on the price thermometer can be explained by three factors:the Bernheimer sale and its accompanying hysteria;the deconstruction of the carpet;and the appearance of the truly outstanding Foy Kasper piece. The two carpets share the following features:a similar inner border,cloudbands in the field;a certain amount of silhouetting,much more extensive on the Kasper rug;roughly similar medallions with the emphasis on rough vis-a-vis the Bernheimer. Both Penny Oakley and Jon Thompson have discussed the importantance of the mock-dovetail silhouetting on the Tabibnia carpet 184-Milestones page 231 Dr.Thompson seems to feel that this technique is a copying from an earlier kilim,now lost,and resembling the great three medallion kilim from Divrigi 185-Hali 6-1-13 Further technical input derives from the group of silk Safavid kilims 186-Milestones page 231 Why anyone should wish to copy a kilim in knotted technique is a mysterium.Perhaps what is being copied here is an effect.The mock-dovetailing creates depth by suggesting light and shadow,a process achieved only in the vertical,whereas kilims necessarily feature it across the whole field.This 3-D effect,carried over the carpet`s 6 metre 29 sets up a kind of visual tsunami,rolling and gathering force.If the Bernheimer-Wher rug was a trial run,it is clear that their technique was inadequate.Hence the expensive silhouetting,on a carpet which anyway cost a fortune to make. The bookcover medallions are a universal Islamic design in the 16th century.It has been suggested that the Kasper-Tabibnia carpet was influenced by Persian models 187-Beselin,169 But the Berlin Polonaise,in the midst of the Final Dissolution,cannot refrain from black outlining 188-Beselin 170 A fundamental question is:where does the technique of knotting with blocks of colour first appear in carpet history? The answer is to be found in the Cairene carpet tradition,and with that we are back to Egypt. 189-Milestones In fact the Kasper carpet features double outlining around the medallion elements in the field,creating the same sense of weightlessness as the Cantoni.The technique has been borrowed from the Cairene carpets, in which outlining is performed by bands of different colour 190-McMullan Collection,MET 1972.80.1c The Cairene Carpet-makers achieved this effect by a combination of phenomenal technique and coloured outlining 191-Grassi Museum 192-Blumenthal Collection,MET-from Turks,Journey of a thousand years,page 308 The examples above are typical of the Cairene tradition,where black is used as a colour,not for outlining.There is no other carpet so close to the Foy Casper as the McMullan fragment puzzle,even down to the cusped medallions..The genius of the Karapinar carpet wizards was to do away with outlining as much as possible,a zone in which the carpets are lit from behind,as in a silhouette.This required a large degree of abstract simplification,a final reduction in which nothing more can be added or subtracted. The original pictures from Brunks can be downloaded HERE More Karapinar rugs can be viewed HERE The Ottomans lost their love of war,but tents continued to be made in Egypt.A foto portrait from Emil Bechard,taken around 1870,seems to be the earliest known depiction 193 A painting by Henry Brokman Knudsen,c.1900,depicts such a panel being used as a windbreaker 194 These medallion panels were presumably assembled into tents to fit particular client`s needs 195 There is no great difference in technique between the 17th and 19th century examples,however the border designs on the Kassel tent from the 17th century seem more elevated.A major difference is in the use of machine-woven material in the later examples,resulting in a smoother interface 196-Kassel,17th Century 197-19th Century A number of complete tents are known from the 19th-20th century,the most renowned of which is the festive example once in the Burns Collection,which sold at Christies for $20,403,and subsequently entered the collection of the Islamic Art Museum,Malaysia 198-Christies 18 October 2001-Lot 270 The tents were often assembled with their white backings facing outwards 199 The above tent was offered on ebay in 2009,with a number of fotos showing the disassembled state,which can be viewed HERE A tent at Doddington Hall can presumably be booked for parties 200-Doddington Hall The Saunders Museum USA has a tent and some Pharaonic appliques,of the type formerly brought back from Egypt by touring grandees 201-Saunders Museum An example apparently purchased by the Prince of Wales in Alexandria in March 1875 was sold at Sothebys on 6 October 2010 for 31,250 pounds 202-Lot 361 Another example was sold at Sothebys on 11 June 2002-Lot 13 203-Sothebys 2002 Modern tents are still made 204 But with machine printed panels 205 One example did well at Christies on 26 September 2012,selling for $8,484 206 The large siwan were erected for gatherings of all kinds,providing a simple method of privatising public space.They were(and still are)used for marriages,funerals,Sufi gatherings,guilds and associations of all kinds.The panels are amongst the most imposing tents ever made 207 A gathering with King Fouad of Egypt in the early 20`s is still more illustrative 208 The tents could be small and still comfortable,as a photo of Max von Oppenheim at Tell Halaf in 1929 shows 209 The Heiress Doris Duke had a whole wing attired with them in her Honolulu art mansion 210 211 212 213-3x Doris Duke A panel sold at Nagels on 27 May 2008 recalls an early 13th century Nasrid Banner 214-Nagels 215-after Curatola The Star of David is a popular design referring back to Mamluk times 216 217 The central design mimicks marquetry and perhaps depicts a guild symbol.The corners incorporate art-deco Lotus Palmettes with an Eye of Horus border.The appliqués became a tourist business after Howard Carter`s discovery of Tutankhamun in 1922,although Egyptomania had already begun in the 19th century 218 219 220 The airport art represented by the above is anathema to our eyes,yet is presented here for a fuller picture.The decline of the Khyamiya begins with their introduction. Many beautiful examples exist incorporating calligraphy and what is either a prayer form or a portiere(or both?) 221-Brunks 2010 222-Nagels 50T-3064 223-Dorotheum 2 May 2012-163 Another type is obviously a prayer design 224-Nagels 6 May 1994-1225 225-Christies 27 October 2010-191 An example in the Toronto Textile Museum recalls the great horseshoe Mihrab in Cordoba 226-Toronto More fotos of Egyptian Khayamiya can be viewed HERE Finally,mention should be made of the Mahmal,a miniature tent made to transport the Kiswa,the black cloth cover of the Kaaba.For centuries this was made in Cairo and transported with great pomp down to Mecca 227-Ludwig Deutsch-Hali 126-93 Cairo and the Ottomans eventually lost control of the Kiswa operation,which is now carried out more efficiently in Mecca itself,on the largest Jaquard looms in the world.The Mahmal was an embroidered cover 228-Baker,Islamic Textiles A roof piece still survives in the Topkapi 229-Atasoy 228 The shape of the Mahmal recalls another Egyptian Icon 230-Francis Frith-MET 2005.100.555 In 1991 Udo Hirsch published the results of an astounding discovery found in the Egyptian Museum in Turin:the earliest recorded use of the Turkish knot,from the Tomb of Kha and Merit,dated to around 1400 BC-i.e,approximately a thousand years before the Pazyryk 231 232 233-Hali 58 Surrounded by hundreds of years of Fatimid and Mamluk architecture,the tentmakers of Cairo had an ample field to explore and copy.It is a wonder that the tradition continued unabated into the 20th century.The influence of the Khyamiya on kilim weaving and subsequent carpet making can be felt in the extraordinary Foy Kasper/Tabibnia carpet,and many others.Exactly why this occurred has yet to be explained,and probably never will be. 234-Beyond Boundaries,44 235 236-Street of the Tentmakers,or Khyamiya.Foto: Jenny Bowker May Beattie`s article on the Karapinar rugs is now hard to get,but can be viewed HERE
It's just true. It just is.
