Compass

Editorial: Recent tours and conferences have shown themselves to be effective ways to share our common interest and gain insights from carpets and textiles not typically on view

Dialogue: A familiar fragment in Vienna, ‘Ancient & Modern’ award 2015, Parcours des mondes, ‘Symbols of Power’ in print, HALI at Olympia, Contemporary carpet art in Beirut

Diary: A selection of international must-see events

Calendar: HALI lists some of the best exhibitions, fairs, auctions and events this autumn

Thread of time: Two Spanish textiles manufactured from different fibres for patrons of different faiths betray a complex and long-lasting tussle for control of the Iberian Peninsula

Travellers’ tales: Ben Evans The 13th International Conference on Oriental Carpets took place in Washington DC in August with a full academic programme, temporary exhibitions and pre- and post-conference tours

Interview: with Anahita – Arts of Asia, Berlin has become home to an antique art gallery fit for the 21st century. Drawing on a rich family heritage while carving her own path, Anahita Sadighi reexamines the continent’s treasures

Comment: Francesca Fiorentino Complementing the orthodox means of communicating rug knowledge and addressing the role of the Internet in reshaping the field

Anatomy of an object: Paul Benjamin Can detailed design and structural analysis of a south Persian ‘bird’ rug elicit a more specific attribution than the conventional ‘Khamseh’?

Features

Variety & virtuosity Rosemary Crill Of the many stories it is possible to tell about Indian textiles, those relating to craftsmanship and regional variety are the most fundamental. These themes run like paired threads throughout the Victoria and Albert Museum’s current exhibition ‘The Fabric of India’

The best-kept secrets of Budapest Emese Pásztor With more than 700 examples in its possession, the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts is rightly celebrated for its exceptional carpets. While those from Ottoman Turkey are world renowned, they make up only a quarter of the collection. The carpet curator introduces other fine and fascinating rugs that deserve attention

Iberian adventure Ben Evans & Rachel Meek The HALI Decorative Arts of Iberia Tour took place from 19–31 May 2015. HALI’s editorial guides recount highlights from the journey

Women’s realm Renate Anna Menzel Textiles of rural Tunisia have been largely overlooked – as has the predominantly feminine culture that produced them. Their apparent simplicity encompasses a wealth of beauty

The Shah’s tent A tent made for Muhammad Shah Qajar (r. 1834–1848), currently on view at the Cleveland Museum of Art, sheds light on the little-appreciated Rasht textiles of Iran

Art in the Age of Spices Susan Scollay An engaging Australian exhibition explores the extensive exchange of objects, including textiles, along the sea trade routes between East and West from the 15th to 18th centuries

Namad Ros Weaver Could the earliest type of textile be the last nomadic art form? The history of felt in Central Asia as researched by Filippo Comisi

Reviews

Exhibition review ‘Hunting and Gathering: China, Tibet and East Turkestan’, Alberto Levi Gallery, Milan

Book review Textile Art Masterpieces: Tapestries and Embroideries in the Zaleski Collection by Nello Forti Grazzini, Chiara Buss, Gian Luca Bovenzi, Moshe Tabibnia, reviewed by Guy Delmarcel

Marketplace Auctions The recent appearance of a number of striking Caucasian embroideries at auction might suggest these important textiles regularly come up for sale. HALI searches through historic auction records to reveal their true worth

Fair review ICOC XIII Dealers Fair, Washington DC

Auction price guide Turkish kelims from Rippon Boswell’s Vok 1 sale and Shahsavans from its June auction; Turkmen material at Austria Auction Company; plus pieces from Christie’s Paris, CNY and Dorotheum Vienna

Last page An opportunity for a close up view of the 15th-century Spanish ‘large pattern Holbein’ carpet at the Monasterio de Santa Clara, encountered by the HALI Tour in Spain