Summer Blooms in exhibit of rare antique rugs

AskLisa — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:25:00 GMT

Dublin, NH – This August, visitors have a rare opportunity to visit a late-summer garden blooming in western New Hampshire. The blooms, however, can’t be found in the meadows and fields near Mt. Monadnock. These gardens are on the walls and floors of Peter Pap Oriental Rugs, in an exhibition of antique Oriental rugs called “Woven Gardens,” now running through September 1 at Pap’s gallery at 1225 Main Street in Dublin, NH. In conjunction with the exhibition, Pap ,dealer in antique oriental rugs an authority on antique Oriental rugs and collecting, discusses the artisanship and investment value of antique rugs during a lecture entitled “Valuing Antique Rugs: Beauty and Investment” on Thursday, August 21, at 4 p.m. The lecture is free, but reservations are required. More information is available at www.peterpap.com and 603/563-8717. Exhibit hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon -5 p.m. through Labor Day. The gallery is closed Mondays and Tuesdays through Labor Day.

The 40 rugs featured in “Woven Gardens” depict weavers’ versions of gardens, even paradise. Various interpretations of plants and flowers are represented in the exhibit, from a highly representational, fine Persian rug to a very geometric, stylized Caucasian village rug.

“A strong case can be made that nearly every Oriental rug is about gardens and plants,” says Pap. “The derivation of all design (in Oriental rugs) other than animal forms is from nature. There are some architectural motifs, but the vast majority of designs are derived from plants and flower forms.” Many experts believe that the great royal carpets of 16^th and 17^th century Persia were woven to represent a garden paradise, with flowers and trees in full bloom.

The rugs in “Woven Gardens” were created by nomadic tribespeople over 100 years ago; others were created by weavers in villages in Persia (present-day Iran), India, and Turkey. Highlights of the exhibit include a circa 1800 Persian palace carpet, featuring myriad cypress trees, willows, small flowering trees and shrubs against a field of flowers. “Everything is very alive and appears to be still growing,” says Pap. “The interplay between the structure of the design and the feeling of freedom and aliveness is a wonderful achievement.” Also included in the exhibit is an unusually fine Persian Serapi carpet from the late 19th century. The weavers beautifully articulate the plant and flower forms on this rug, which is typically coarser, using the best natural dyes of the day.

A Brief History of Oriental Rugs

Oriental rugs were created centuries ago by nomadic and mountain peoples of Persia, Afghanistan, India, southern Russia and Turkey. They had mundane uses as bedding, decoration in tents, even as makeshift furniture. Persian carpets were found in the palaces of emperors and princes. Great court ateliers used book illuminators to create the arabesques and scrolling vines often seen on Persian carpets. Nomadic people created designs that were passed from generation to generation; settled tribespeople combined geometric motifs with a style and format borrowed from more sophisticated urban elements featuring floral arabesques. The reputations of these designers and weavers spread throughout the civilized world as Oriental rugs became coveted in the United States and Europe.

Peter Pap, a dealer in antique Oriental rugs for more than 30 years, is recognized internationally by collectors and decorators as one of the country's foremost experts on antique Oriental rugs, carpets and tribal weavings. With galleries in San Francisco and Dublin, and an office in New York City, Pap also participates in many top antiques shows including New York’s Winter Antiques Show, the Philadelphia Antiques Show, and the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show. A frequent lecturer at antique shows and museums, Pap is an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow on PBS and an occasional guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius.

For more information about “Woven Gardens” and to reserve a space at the accompanying lecture “Valuing Antique Rugs: Beauty and Investment,” call (603) 563-8717; email wovengardens@peterpap.com; or visit www.peterpap.com.

A Brief History of Oriental Rugs

Granite State Stuff : Dublin

Summer Blooms in exhibit of rare antique rugs