Donation of Central Asian Ikats to the Textile Museum, Washington DC
The textile collector Murad Megalli of Istanbul has donated 148 Central
Asian ikats to The Textile Museum, Washington DC. The ikats are from
Uzbekistan and date to the 19th century.
The donation includes 148 ikat coats, pants, cradle covers, hangings
and fragments.
In announcing the gift, Director Daniel Walker said, "We are
honored that Mr. Megalli chose The Textile Museum as the repository for
such an important collection. The gift should be a point of pride for
those who love the Museum, for it serves to validate that the Museum is
worthy of support and remains a serieus collecting
institution".
As a reason for choosing the Textile Museum as a recipient of the gift
Mr. Megalli said: "A key consideration in donating to The Textile
Museum was conversations with Bruce Baganz, President of the Board of
Trustees, and Director Daniel Walker. Their vision and enthusiasm
convinced me that the collection would be used to further understanding of
ikats within a cultural context".
All of the textiles are silk ikats and a majority of them are coats
produced in the urban centers of Uzbekistan.
Source: Press release From The Textile Museum 15 May
2006
