Persian Flatweaves

by Tanavoli, Parviz

• ISBN13: 9781851493357
• ISBN10: 1851493352
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-07-01
• Publisher: Antique Collectors Club Ltd

Summary

This is the first comprehensive survey of the vast and fascinating subject of Persian flatweaves, and in particular floor covers. Previous publications on the subject have largely been dealers restricted catalogues focusing on a narrow geographical area or the weavings of a particular group, or sections in more general books. This book thus fills a huge gap in the oriental carpet and textile literature. Flatweaves have until recently been seen as merely the products and property of the poor. Since the late 1960s, however, growing attention has been paid to the best known type of flatweave, the gelim, revealing both its quality and variety. Other flatweaves, such as the palas, which is no less frequently found than the gelim, have scarcely been mentioned in any of the literature published so far, yet are shown in this work to be objects of great beauty and diversity. The book is divided into two parts. The first deals with the cultural background to the subject. Drawing on literary sources as well as surviving examples, it describes the long history of flatweaves, showing their relation to pileweaves. The second part of the book deals with the different types of flatweave in turn: gelim, palas, weft-wrapped weaves, zilu and jajim. It also covers the range of uses to which they were put.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	8	(1)
Introduction	9	(2)
Part One
Background	11	(13)
Land and People	11	(1)
Flatweaves in Ancient Persia	12	(6)
Reasons for the Scarcity of Old Persian Flatweaves	18	(4)
Schools of Weaving	22	(2)
Terminology and Categorization of Flatweaves	24	(6)
Corruption of Textile Terminology	25	(1)
Changes in Political Borders	26	(1)
Problems of Categorization	27	(1)
Traditions in Naming	28	(2)
General Uses of Pile-weave and Flatweave	30	(9)
The Importance of Function and Location	30	(1)
Flatweaving, Poverty and Asceticism	30	(2)
Royal Flatweaves	32	(2)
City Dwellers and Flatweaves	34	(1)
Trade and the Export of Flatweaves	35	(4)
Part Two
Gelim	39	(159)
The Gelim in Persian Literature	40	(2)
The Safavid Gelim	42	(4)
Varieties of Gelim in Iran	46	(152)
Azarbaijan	50	(40)
Khamseh and Zanjan	90	(4)
Kurdestan and the Kurds	94	(28)
The Alborz Foothills	122	(20)
The Caspian Sea, Mazandaran, and Khorasan	142	(8)
Return to Zagros, the Land of the Lors	150	(5)
Khuzestan	155	(19)
Fars	174	(22)
The Kerman Gelim	196	(2)
Palas	198	(38)
Problems of Definition and the Determination of Geographical Areas	202	(3)
Varieties of Palas	205	(31)
Khorasan	208	(4)
Mazandaran	212	(6)
Sistan	218	(1)
Baluchestan	218	(5)
Kerman	223	(7)
The Northwest: Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran	230	(6)
Weft-wrapping	236	(22)
The Caucasus	236	(2)
Sumak, Suzani or Weft-wrapping	238	(1)
Mahfuri	239	(2)
Varieties of Weft-wrapping	241	(13)
Shirvan	242	(3)
Qarabagh	245	(2)
Verneh and Sieleh	247	(7)
Weft-wrapping in Iran	254	(4)
Kerman	255	(1)
Torbat-e Jam	256	(2)
Zilu	258	(12)
Maibod	266	(4)
Jajim	270	(32)
Azarbaijan	274	(12)
The Talesh and the Tat	286	(2)
Fars and Bakhtiari	288	(1)
Mowj	288	(9)
Shisha-Derma	297	(1)
Khorasan	298	(4)
Carpet on Carpet	302	(18)
Zavareh, Mohammadiyeh	305	(4)
Masnad	309	(5)
Suzani	314	(6)
Hanging Flatweaves	320	(12)
Pardeh	320	(10)
Tomb Covers and Coffin Covers	330	(2)
Conclusion	332	(2)
Notes	334	(4)
Works Cited	338	(4)
Further Reading	342	(1)
Photography Credits	343	(1)
Index	344