HALI NEWSLETTER No. 482

[View this email in your browser]( Austria Auction Company is hosting its 'Fine Antique Oriental Rugs XXXIX and Tribal Art 6' auction in Vienna on 16 November at 4pm CET. The lots can be previewed from 13–15 November between 11am–5pm, and on 16 November from 11am–4pm. Among the lots is an important, early Igdir C-gül Main Carpet [(lot 51]( shown above. A relative of this lot can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and in Joseph V. McMullan's Islamic Carpets, 1972. The main contrasts between these carpets is their primary border, and the number of güls shown in the field. The lower half of lot 51 features C-güls dancing out of line, as well as star motifs on the sides, similarly to the McMullan carpet. C-gül carpets are divided into four groups. Groups one and two feature, alongside the C-gül, other types of güls. Group four is characterised by a diagonal arrangement of güls, often cut off at the border, suggesting an infinite repeat. In group three, the güls are also sorted by colour. Hans Sienknecht said of the 'magnificent' McMullan carpet in Hali 47: 'One of the most well-known examples, perhaps the most beautiful of all...' and in 1989, he wrote that the 'rather small third group of earlier C-gül carpets represents the aesthetic pinnacle of their development.' To access the lots and bid online, please visit the [Austria Auction Company]( website. Image: Igdir C-gül Main Carpet, Turkmenistan, 18th century. Austria Auction Company. On 16 November, the Textile Museum Associates of Southern California hosts 'May The Evil Eye Not Strike: Magical Protection in Islamic Textiles, Dress and Jewellery' with Chris Aslan at 10am PT (6pm GMT). The webinar will take a look at how amulets, embroidered mirror-work, beads, embroidered Sudoku and power emblems such as the hand, the eye, rams’ horns, the triangle and the chilli are used to provide protection for those fearful of the Evil Eye. Follow the [link]( for free registration. To mark their arrival in London, Jaipur Rugs celebrated a new project at the Condé Nast headquarters, where they layered the floor with antique rugs from the collection of Yogesh Chaudhary, the director of Jaipur Rugs. The newly designed London office of the global editorial director of Condé Nast Traveller, Divia Thani, incorporates traditional motifs and highlights Indian craftmanship, reflecting her appreciation of style and passion for travel. For more information, visit [Jaipur Rugs]( instagram. Image: Courtesy of Jaipur Rugs. Tennants is hosting its ‘Autumn Fine Sale’ on 16 November at the Leyburn Auction Centre, offering a diverse range of rugs. Among the highlights is a fine Bijar carpet from Iranian Kurdistan circa 1880, as well as a Ferahan Sarouk carpet, circa 1930, originating from western Iran. The auction also features a Shahsavan runner, circa 1880, from northwest Iran, and a Qashqa'i kilim from southwest Iran, circa 1930. To access the lots and bid online, please visit the [Tennants]( website. For #RugFactFriday, we continue our exploration of 'Polonaise' Rugs. This week HALI editor, Ben Evans, delves into the significance and history behind a ‘Polonaise’ recently sold at Christie’s London. The ‘Polonaise’ group of 17th-century carpets have been among the most popular and prestigious of Persian rug types since they were first made in the early 1600s. Made with silk pile and metal thread, these carpets are particularly desirable, given the patronage they received from one of Persia’s greatest kings, Shah Abbas I (r. 1587–1629). They are associated with the royal courts, for which they were made, and represent the authority and power that they, as ultimate luxuries, conveyed. The example which sold at Christie’s on 24 October 2024, for £945,000 ($1,226,610) is unusual in many technical respects, but its appeal to the wealthy and powerful remains. The carpet is one of the largest known, but does not have any of the metal thread associated with the wider group. It retains its deep red colouration, which in most examples is faded to a lemon-yellow shade, due to the red dye’s sensitivity to light. The carpet’s design is also unusual in that it relates to the Strapwork group of carpets, suggesting it must hail from the early stage of this genre’s production. The carpet had previously never been seen nor published. It had likely remained in a private Daimyo collection in Japan since the 17th century, when carpets of this type were acquired by noble Japanese families through the special trading relationship granted to the Dutch East India company by the imperial court. Image: ‘Polonaise’ carpet, Persia, early 17th century. Christie’s London, 2024. [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Website]( [LinkedIn]( Copyright © 2023 Hali Publications, All rights reserved. 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