WINDOW  LEFT

Energizing Heriz 9.1 x 11.10 Afghanistan

The stunning Heriz hanging in WINDOW LEFT measures 9.1 x 11.10.  This piece was hand-knotted in northern Afghanistan by Turkmen women using handspun vegetally dyed local wool.  This piece would have taken four women approximately 6 months to complete.  This production is part of a cottage industry where the rugs are woven in the home enabling the family to remain together and provide much needed income.

The color palette includes ivory, a vibrant orange, goldenrod, madder red, navy and sky blue.  The distribution of color in this piece by the artist exemplifies Picasso’s words, “Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing?  Can one really explain this? No.  Just as one can never learn how to paint.”

This recreation of a Persian Heriz is as “good as it gets”.  The design is classic and the utilization of color, the scale of the elements, the symmetry; all work flawlessly together to create a carpet that stops you in your tracks and handsomely grounds a room!

The simple vine in the inner guard border uses a design found in Persian carpets as early as 1350.  “ At each flexure is a flower of four petals, and from alternating flexures spring tendrils of colour different from that of the vine.”  The next guard border with the orange backdrop is this same pattern in a further developed stage. “Persian-Kurdish stripes are not crowded and have a simple vine with bright pendent flowers.”

The incorporation of geometric lines and angles, tendrils, archaic leaves, etc. in the quadrants is exquisite! The rich madder red field sets of the navy and the ivory in a magnificent fashion.  Bottom line…this piece will bring energy and beauty to a room in a brilliant fashion!

 WINDOW RIGHT

The Story of Jumping Mouse by John Steptoe & “Antique” Agra 8.10 x 12.1 Afghanistan

The “antique” Agra hanging in WINDOW RIGHT is a masterpiece!  This piece measures 8.10 x 12.1 and was hand-knotted in northern Afghanistan by Turkmen women using handspun vegetally dyed local wool.

Historically, Agra pieces are hand-knotted with wool on a cotton foundation with  monochromatic fields using delicate shades of blue green or fawn color.  This carpet is a work of art.  The artist “paints” with exactly the right amount of brown to ground the piece while the soft palette creates a peaceful ambiance.  The slight variation in colors creates an illusion of shadows and causes the carpet to appear three dimensional.

One of my all time favorite books to read to my children is “The Story Of Jumping Mouse” retold and illustrated by John Steptoe. The illustrations perfectly give life to the heroic and poignant story imprinting the tale in both mind and heart.  His artistic style masterfully incorporates shadows.  The artistry of the Agra returned me to  “The Story of Jumping Mouse”.

The scene shown from the book depicts Jumping Mouse walking underneath the bison for protection from “the shadows of the sky”.  Jumping Mouse had freely and sacrificially given the bison, now appropriately named, “Eyes-of-a-Mouse” his sight.  Aristotle states, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”  It has often been said that, “one thing leads to another”.  In the case of beautiful art, that is always a good thing!

A Kebabian carpet is not merely a functional floor covering; it brings the human touch of the artist  along with his/her vibe to the room, “Art for the Eye & the Foot”!

Oriental Rugs Antique and Modern by Walter A Hawley, 1937

The Story of Jumping Mouse by John Steptoe, 1972