Description
Book SynopsisSuitable for modern admirers of oriental carpets, this book features forty classical carpets held in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, along with several important pre-Islamic carpet fragments. It describes collections in the context of history of Islamic art, recounting carpets stories and celebrating their intricate designs and craftsmanship.
Trade Review'The reader cannot help but be delighted by the quality of the images chosen. Absorbing the text is a pleasure. It informs as opposed to dictates … a masterful triumph' - Selvedge
Table of ContentsPreface by Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah • Acknowledgments • Introduction: The 2,500-Year History of Oriental Carpets •
PART I PRE-CLASSICAL CARPETS Chapter 1: Pre-Islamic and Early Islamic Carpets • Carpets from the Sasanian period • The early Islamic pre-classical period •
PART II CLASSICAL CARPETS Chapter 2: Egypt • Mamluk carpets • Chessboard carpets •
Chapter 3: Turkey • Seljuq carpets • Anatolian animal carpets • Ottoman carpets • “Holbein” and “Lotto” carpets • Star Ushak and Medallion Ushak carpets • Multiple-niche carpets (saff) and prayer carpets • Early village rugs from Anatolia • “Transylvanian” carpets • Late prayer rugs and their reception in Western collections •
Chapter 4: Persia: Safavid carpets: the workshops • Safavid carpets: dating • Safavid carpets: pattern types • Compartment carpets • Medallion carpets Vine-scroll carpets • Vase carpets • Garden carpets • Safavid velvets •
Chapter 5: Caucasus • Dragon and flower carpets •
Chapter 6: India • Mughal carpets: pattern groups • Vine-scroll carpets • Floral garden carpets • Animal carpets
