More Belouchis

Report from the ongoing Sartirana Textile Show.

Naturally many of the dealers at the fair came with their own high power Belouchis in the hopes of cashing in on David Sorgato’s overflow. A quick run through the show turned up the following:

Udo Langauer, Vienna displayed a (fig.5) Jamshidi soffre with soumak on camel field and an atypically green weft float band at each end.

Tahir Sabahi (fig 6) checked in with what at first appears to be a very simple, repetitive design, red Taimani that at second (unavoidable) glance exudes such a perfect sense of balance in placement, scale, and element execution that it must win you over.

Anatolian Picker (Osman Rugs), Istanbul (Fig.7) picked this occasion to grab the hand full of space-cadet-sky-walkers in attendance. The rug slams the viewer with a white, possibly transparent (note that the necklace, the COMPLETE necklace is visible in its entirety), possibly androgynous (note the red lips, again the necklace, and the window into the womb in the pelvic region, and the suggestion of knee pants), pigeon towed giant destined for NBA fame. A second glance reveals 2 windows, one above each shoulder, containing twin space alien busts. As if this were not enough to set a sane mind spinning there were 2 more, smaller, windows just below the basketball palming fingertips of each hand framing near twin busts of sinister looking circus clowns (Bush jokes suppressed here). This bizarre, yet strangely attractive field is framed with a rare interior border that can be read multiple ways and a known serpentine outer border. Both borders were drawn in liberated free style resulting in personality. The rug was placed too high on the wall for the viewer to make a guess as to its age, attribution, and authenticity, but it had every appearance of a turn of the century Jamshidi.

The timeless, tireless, Bielers of Vienna can always be counted on to hang an outstanding collection at every Sartirana event. This time they graced the show with two “Belouchis”. The rarest, most visually captivating, one ( fig. 8 ) was an Aimaq or Baharlu (symmetric 3+ ply knotted rug) with an atypical format; a large scale, radiating, spacious gul medallion center panel flanked above and below with small patterned panels composed of a hexagonal gul pattern known almost exclusively to Khorassan tribal rugs. Placed on the opposite wall hung a Pendeh Jamshidi“hands” prayer rug (fig 9) with the ever-enigmatic Chodor secondary gul featured as the primary design. Next to it a Belouch camel headdress drooped. Its primary merit was its functionality.

Fig 9: Pendeh Jamshidi “hands” prayer rug

The never shy Gallery Arabesque duo of Stuttgart jumped on the band wagon with a full wall (fig 10) containing (l. to r.) 2 Taimanis; a rug + a “Doctor” designed khordjin, a Firoz Kohi “Doctor” prayer rug, two Hazarah khordjin faces (one unique single bird model and the other a colorful rare Pendeh example), an exceedingly rare Qainate ‘Arab’ cradle with a single gul that would make a Turkoman weep with joy, 2 Firoz Kohis (an electric blue prayer rug and a flat weave salt bag), and two Karais; one mid 19th unusually small rug and a fragment of an 18th century main carpet.

James Cohen, always a primary player (whatever the game), showed a beautiful rare Jamshidi cradle (fig 11) with 3 ivory memling devices floating above a field of multiple repeats in varying shades of red.

Saeed Shalgouni, Kamoo Gallery of Iran, never one to let a camera pass him by (when he is abroad that is), jumped up with an uncommon Karai camel trapping (fig 12) and magically transformed himself into a wall to provide a charming back ground that somehow managed to set the piece off.