Carpet-Western or Northwestern Anatolia. The Textile Museum R34.2.8. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1913

"Classical Tradition in Anatolian Carpets"
Exhibit at Textile Museum September 13, 2002 - February 16, 2003
Anatolian carpets dating from the 14th through 19th centuries will be exhibited at The Textile Museum in Washington D.C. in the context of their history and relationship to the centuries-old Anatolian weaving tradition. The exhibition, September 13, 2002 - February 16, 2003, will explore the enduring classical tradition in Anatolian carpet weaving, the Ottoman Court and its impact on the weaving tradition, the land and its people, and provides an overview of the place of Anatolian carpets in Western material culture. The exhibition includes approximately 50 carpets and is curated by Walter B. Denny, Professor of Art History at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Lectures and presentations at the 25th Annual Rug Convention, October 18-20, 2002, will draw inspiration from this exhibition.

The exhibition poses questions and probes many aspects of the origins and evolution of Anatolian carpet design. What were the major design sources that inspired Anatolian carpet weavers? How can we recognize these sources in later Anatolian carpet-weaving traditions? What was the impact of the techniques used in weaving on the designs produced? These are some of the questions that will be explored in the exhibition. This important exhibition also exp-lores the origins of the coupled-column Ana-tolian prayer rugs. Woven in many different parts of Anatolia in a continuing tradition for many centuries, coupled-column prayer rugs are among the most distinctive and in-teresting of Ana-tolian carpet de-signs. These prayer rugs illustrate the endurance of specific designs and their transcription from one type of textile to another, from one culture to another, and from one generation to another.

West Anatolian pile carpets will also be exhibited during September 13, 2002 - February 16, 2003.

The Textile Museum is located at 2320 S Street, N.W., Washington D.C. For more information call 202-667-0441 or e-mail at info@textilemuseum.org. Web site: www.textilemuseum.org.