From Ashgabat to Istanbul - Oriental Rug Show
Oriental Rugs From Canadian Collections
This past February I had the privilege of visiting the Textile Museum in Toronto, to see their exhibit "From Ashgabat to Istanbul". The museum presented us with 75 oriental rugs, salt bags, tent bags and also some camel headdresses. Some of these came from private collections and also from the Nickle Galleries in Calgary and the Art Gallery of Ontario.
This collection was vibrant and captivating, this show swept me off my feet! I was fascinated by its cultural intrigue and of course the mysterious romance of such beautiful art.
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- One of the first rugs that struck me was a prayer rug from the 18th century. This rug was originally from a mosque and had been divided at some point and sold in pieces. Its place of origin is thought to be Ushak.
The tent bags were also impressive. One in particular that I loved was a Tekke Turkman from Central Asia. This bag dates back to the 19th century. -
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- Another thing I really loved seeing was the camel headdresses. These were lavishly decorated with beads and tassels and were used in Iran by the Baluch. These headdresses were used during special ceremonies.
All of these pieces were breathtaking, but one of my favourites was an Azerbaijan Kuba from the early 20th century that comes from the collection of Peter Peroff. -
- This book sums it all up, "The Romance of Oriental Rugs" let me assure you, this show did just that! You can read more about the exhibit at the Textile Museum website.
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- Tanya Shea