Wednesday, October 5, 2011

New Books for October

American Art Association Illustrated Catalogue of Antique Oriental Weaves of Rare and Distinctive Quality, Fine Old Persian Faiences  American Art Association New York 1914 153 black and white 372 pp. 6.5 x 10 Hardback in Good condition. Contemporary binding. Pencil priced throughout. GWO 20.  An auction of the Kent-Costikyan inventory of 308 rug lots including carpets from all weaving areas and 15th-20th century pieces.

Corwin, Bonnie Publisher-Editor Textiles Asia Journal May 2011, Volume 3, Issue 1  Bonnie Corwin Hong Kong 2011  24 pp. 8.25 x 11.75 Paperback in New condition  Illustrated in color. Articles include "Khalsa and explosive Graphics in the Age of Maharaja Runjit Singh's Kasmir" by Frank Ames; "Love at the Loom: Burma" by Kathleen Forance Johnson; "Golok (n'Golock) Costumes of Eastern Tibet, Amdo and Kham" by Phila L. McDaniel.

Corwin, Bonnie Publisher-Editor Textiles Asia Journal September 2011, Volume 3, Issue 2  Bonnie Corwin Hong Kong 2011  24 pp. 8.25 x 11.75 Paperback in New condition  Illustrated in color. Articles include "Shwe Chi Doe: A Recent Acquisition of the Tilleke & Gibbins Textile Collection" by Dr. Linda McIntosh; "Silk Design in China 1949-2010" by Yu Tingting and Xu Zheng;  "The Power of a Panel: An Unusual Cloak Panel Distinctive of the Yellow Hat Sect of Buddhist" by Gil Green.  

Der Manuelian, L. and M. Eiland Weavers, Merchants and Kings: The Inscribed Rugs of Armenia  Kimbell Art Museum Ft. Worth 1984 68 color plates 211 pp. 9 x 12 Hardback in dustjacket in Very Good condition. Former owner's discreet blindstamps on front free endpaper and half title page.  GWO 1386. An important book that brings together old Caucasian rugs with Armenian inscription from present day Turkey and the formerUSSR. Sound text.  Also in Paperback.

Gans-Ruedin, E. Indian Carpets  Thames and Hudson London 1984 120 color plates 130 black and white 318 pp. 10 x 9.5 Hardback in dustjacket in Very Good condition. Small tear to spine of dustjacket.  GWO 1836.  First half of book is valuable for antique Mughal and other Indian rugs.  Second half is contemporary production.
More on Indian Rugs

Gavin, Traude Iban Ritual Textiles  Koninklyk Instituut Voor Taal Land Leiden 2003 8 color plates 213 black and white 356 pp. 6.5 x 9.5 Paperback in Very Good condition

Miller, Daniel ed. Auspicious Carpets: Tibetan Rugs and Textiles  Daniel Miller Manila 2009 94 color plates 22 color and 23 black and white anthropological photographs 160 pp. 7 x 7 Paperback in New condition  Articles by Thomas L. Guta, Ted Worcester, Daniel Miller, Rupert Smith, Bob van Grevenbroek and Charles Gay. "More than just another book on rugs. With evocative images and insightful text it is as much an ethnography of the inhabitants of the Tibetan landscape -- the nomads who raise the sheep that produce one of the best carpet wools in the world and the weavers who fashion this wool into textiles and rugs -- as it is an introduction to the aesthetics of the Tibetan weaving and textile traditions." –Cover.  We also expect delivery of the Hardback edition this week.

Mumford, John K. The Yerkes Collection of Oriental Carpets  The Knapp Company New York 1910 27 color plates 116 pp. 21.5 x 13.5 Portfolio in Very Good condition. Minor edgewear to original grey boards with scuffing to covers. Some plates have minor tears. Plates clear and bright.  GWO 831. An important and major documentation of classical Persian carpets.  This is the standard edition and numbered 111 of 750. 



Oriental Carpet Manufacturers (OCM) Oriental Carpets  Oriental Carpet Manufacturers, Ltd. (London) -1900 14 color plates 60 pp. 9 x 12 Hardback in Good condition.  Wear to edges and bumped corners. Text block has been professionally restored.  GWO 866.  A wholesale catalog from this reknown producer of Oriental rugs.

Oshanin, L. V. Anthropological Composition of the Population of Central Asia and the Ethnogenesis of its People: II  Peabody Museum Cambridge 1964 53 black and white  62 tables 138 pp. 8.5 x 11 Paperback in Very Good condition Volume 2 of 3 of the English translation of 1957 Russian research comparing physical characteristics of Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Uzbek and Tajik peoples.

Piccus, Robert P. Sacred and Secular: The Piccus Collection Of Tibetan Rugs  Serindia Publications Chicago 2011 186 rugs are shown in 412 color illustrations 12 historic black and white photographs 294 pp. 8.5 x 12 Hardback in dustjacket in New condition  Probably the best book published on Tibetan carpets. "Rugs have been woven and used in Tibet for centuries, but until recent years, have been ignored by collectors and scholars alike because available examples were generally brightly colored, chemically dyed, clearly modern commercial production of little aesthetic appeal. This situation changed in the mid-1980s when the Chinese authorities began to allow tourism and foreign visitors discovered early, naturally dyed examples that had not been seen in the West. The Piccus Collection of Tibetan Rugs was formed during the exciting window of opportunity that existed during the 80s and 90s to collect in this previously little-known area. The Collection demonstrates the genuine aesthetic sense and cultural achievements of the unknown Tibetan weavers who produced these masterpieces. The book tells the story of the rugs' collection, the individuals involved and the evolution of scholarship in this field. Beautifully illustrated, the book is divided into design categories, including Tigers and Leopards, Dragons, Tantric, Geometrics, Medallions, Warp Face Backs, and Nomadic, among others. It also includes technical information and a visual glossary that will be useful for collectors and designers alike. The book documents a previously little-known aspect of Tibetan history and culture that deserves to be recognized and is an essential addition to any collector s and design libraries." -Cover

Polakoff, Claire Into Indigo: African Textiles and Dyeing Techniques  Anchor Books Garden City 1980 129 black and white 269 pp. 8 x 9.5 Paperback in Very Good condition. Minor edgewear. Survey of traditional dyeing arts in Africa.  
More on Dyes

Reuben, David M. Gols and Guls: Exhibition of Turkmen Carpets from the 18th and 19th Centuries from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. David M. Reuben  David M. Reuben London 1998 80 color plates 9 black and white figures 114 pp. 8.5 x 12 Paperback in Good condition. The first 5 leaves have been reglued. Minor smudging to cover.  Important dealer sales and exhibition catalog of old Turkmen rugs. $175  Another copy is available where the first 5 leaves are color reproductions.

Robinson, Peter Western Persian Textiles 18th-20th Centuries  University of Colorado Boulder -1980 34 black and white 39 pp. 6 x 9 Paperback in Very Good condition.  Deaccessioned from a museum research library with usual markings GWO 2128.  H. Medill Sarkisian collection exhibition catalog.

Rowe, Ann Pollard The Junius B. Bird Conference on Andean Textiles: April 7th and 8th, 1984  The Textile Museum Washington, DC 1986 342 black and white 384 pp. 10.5 x 8.5 Paperback in As New condition The Textile Museum is proud indeed to present the extraordinary group of papers that comprise the second volume on textiles dedicated to Junius Bouton Bird, the late trustee of this museum and Curator of South American Archaeology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The papers speak eloquently of the changes that have occurred in the field in the more than ten years since the conference on which the previous publication was based. The change in the name of the volume provides the clue--the descriptor "pre-Columbian" of the previous volume  has now been changed to the chronologically broader term "Andean." -Publisher 

Sevi, Daniele Tappeti Anatolici del XIX Secolo (Anatolian Rugs of the 19th Century)  Daniele Sevi Milano -1985 30 color plates 88 pp. 8 x 11.5 Hardback in dustjacket in Very Good condition. Wear to dustjacket. GWO 1318.  A dealer exhibition and sales catalog of collectable Turkish rugs.  With an introductory essay and technical data by Alberto Boralevi. English/Italian text.




San Francisco Antique Oriental Rug and Textile Show

We will again be exhibiting in San Francisco at the 3rd annual Antique Rug and Textile Show. The opening is on October 20th and is exclusively for members of the Antique Rug and Textile Art Association. To join the ARTAA ($35 or $15 for students) and attend the opening reception visit the website at artsrugshow.org. During the show we will be extending a 10% discount to ARTAA members. The show runs from October 20-23, 2011 and will feature over 40 international dealers of Oriental as well as tribal and ethnographic textiles.

The Best Book on Tibetan Carpets Ever Published

We are not given to hyperbole so believe it when we say that Robert Piccus' new book Sacred and Secular: The Piccus Collection Of Tibetan Rugs is the best book published on the subject. The collection of 186 rugs is shown in more than 400 color illustrations and includes history and technical analysis. 

"Rugs have been woven and used in Tibet for centuries, but until recent years, have been ignored by collectors and scholars alike because available examples were generally brightly colored, chemically dyed, clearly modern commercial production of little aesthetic appeal. This situation changed in the mid-1980s when the Chinese authorities began to allow tourism and foreign visitors discovered early, naturally dyed examples that had not been seen in the West. The Piccus Collection of Tibetan Rugs was formed during the exciting window of opportunity that existed during the 80s and 90s to collect in this previously little-known area. The Collection demonstrates the genuine aesthetic sense and cultural achievements of the unknown Tibetan weavers who produced these masterpieces. The book tells the story of the rugs' collection, the individuals involved and the evolution of scholarship in this field. Beautifully illustrated, the book is divided into design categories, including Tigers and Leopards, Dragons, Tantric, Geometrics, Medallions, Warp Face Backs, and Nomadic, among others. It also includes technical information and a visual glossary that will be useful for collectors and designers alike. The book documents a previously little-known aspect of Tibetan history and culture that deserves to be recognized and is an essential addition to any collector s and design libraries." -Cover