3 comments about Oriental Carpets: Their Iconology and Iconography from Earliest Times to the 18th Century (Jumbo).

1. This is a beautiful book with careful drawings and magnificent color photographs. It is a serious scholarly work. An ideal text for a course on Oriental Carpets.



2. Dr. Gantzhorn's book is both a fabulous bargain, with over 600 beautiful color plates, and a ground-breaking work of art history scholarship. If you are open to an iconoclastic view of carpet weaving history, i.e., history which differs from the official one, you owe it to yourself to consider Dr. Gantzhorn's carefully researched and documented thesis.



3. a mildly goofy interpretation that claims Armenian Christian origin for oriental carpets, ill organized, with excruciating page layout, but the sources consulted and the rich illustration make an interesting read and as well an incredible bargain

1 comments about Oriental Rugs: The Collector's Guide to Selecting, Identifying, and Enjoying New and Antique Oriental Rugs (The Collector's Library).

1. Nicely bound, beautiful pictures, well written, great initial tour of the regional variations, styles, and terminologies. A good starting point for collectors of older rugs, not as a buying guide for new rugs. Overall, an excellent value. - Chris Miller

No comments about Of Wool And Loom: Tradition Of Tibetan Rugs.

1 comments about Dhurrie--Flatwoven Rugs of India.

1. A dhurrie is a flatwowen rug and has for too long been overshadowed by pile carpets.

   Almost a dying art and style it has been rejuvenated in part by the efforts of the author, Shyam Ahuja, a name familiar to those who deal in Indian materials. The book is a fascinating look at the art of the dhurrie. Ahuja starts at the beginning trying to unravel the origins. Cotton cultivation started in the Harrappan age around 3000 BCE. Spindles and other weaving atefacts have been unearthed from this period. Around 320 BCE the Arthashastra lists a range of floor coverings and the oldest dhurrie fragment comes down to us from around 100CE.

   Ahuja started his affair with dhurries in the sixies and has continued to stimualte growth of this dying art form. He takes all flat-woven rugs to be dhurries; it is not the material they are made in but the style and colour. "The dhurrie is all about colour- there has to be poetry. There is no set formula, only an unerring instinct- you have to feel the design in yout gut."

   Along with the history of dhurries it takes you the differnt stages of a dhurrie's creation, the colour, the weaving and brings the whole into a modern context with contemporary designs. My grandmothe rand aunt used to weave dhurries. It was fascinating to sit and watch their fingers on the loom as they wove their magic and crewated wonderful designs. It is gratifying to see justice finally being done to this art form by this wonderful book.

No comments about Carpets and Textiles: The Thyssen Bornemisza Collection (The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection).

No comments about Oriental Rugs: Caucasian (Volume 1).

1 comments about Oriental Carpets: A Buyer's Guide.

1. This book could have had more information on the carpets, somehow I did not get the most from it.

No comments about The Complete Guide to Collecting Hooked Rugs: Unrolling the Secrets.

No comments about Oriental Rugs: Turkish (Oriental Rugs).

1 comments about Instant Expert: Collecting Oriental Rugs (Instant Expert (Random House)).

1. Joyce Ware's book offers a superior way to educate yourself on fine rugs in a short time, and it's well written, to boot. Highly recommended by this lover of rugs.