Report from the ongoing Sartirana Textile Show.
David Sorgato came in strong this time. His collection of “Belouchis” can only be described as superb. Regrettably this particular castle venue is much to small to display completely the whole collection so many treasures are folded in a glass cage.
Among the jewels that he could fit on the wall was an archaic Taimani main carpet with an unusually wide range of colors and grand scale (fig. 1). It was surrounded with the most comprehensive collection of bird rugs and bags perhaps ever assembled in one spot. Interspersed were the rare and esoteric such as a flat woven, weft float Jamshidi prayer (fig. 2).
The author has encountered only 2 flat weaves prayer kelims that might be considered old enough to be collectible and this was a quite the attractive example. In direct contradiction was an Aimaq or perhaps Barharlu pile piece that replicated flat weave weft float design (fig. 3). Some old hands might know this rug as Adraskand Inc. first exhibited it in the 1980s.
Continuing in the same technique-design transference vein was an excellent Jamshidi pile soffre (fig 4) with elaborate birds, potentially readable calligraphy, and Hazarah mafrash guls. Indeed it exceeded the beauty of most of its flat woven rivals.
More later…
Location and more information: Sartirana Textile Show 22-26 September 2010, Sartirana Castle, Sartirana, Lomellina (PV), Italy.