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Title:
Volume 18 - Issue 4
Date:
1965
Table of contents:
- p. 2-3: Chattopadhyaya, Kamaladevi, Carpets are Works of Art [Editorial] | Historically, the Indian pile carpets seems to go back to the 16th century. Today, the centres have shrunk to a few, mainly for export. The decline in the carpet industry in India has been due to a predominantly commercial approach and a rapid deterioration of our tastes. It is now for the nation and its leaders to offer liberal and generous patronage to this art, as the country has become very craft conscious, and for the people to develop an aesthetic taste for carpets as works of art.
- p. 4-11: Chattopadhyaya, Kamaladevi, Origin of Pile Carpets and their Development in India | The article discusses the types of pile carpets, their patterns and designs, and contemporary weaving centres in Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and the erstwhile Madras State.
- p. 12-14 + 1 unnumbered leaf between p. 14-15: Ellis, Charles Grant, Indian Carpets in United States Museums | A survey of Mughal scenic, pictorial, floral, and arabesque carpets in the tradition of 16th and 17th century Persian carpets, in various museums of the USA.
- p. 15-17: Irwin, John, Girdlers Carpets | The Girdlers Carpet was donated to the English East India Company in 1634 by Robert Bell (1564-1634), who served as Master of the Company in 1611. The article discusses of the circumstances of its arrival, the dispute regarding payment, and the dimensions, design, and technical specifications of this sumptuous carpet.
- p. 18-19: Irwin, John, Fremlin Carpets | The Fremlin Carpet in the Victoria and Albert Museum, so-called because it bears the coat-of-arms of the Fremlin family, was commissioned by William Fremlin, who served with the East India Company in India between 1626-44. The motifs and basic design are Persian, but the carpet was woven in India. It first came to notice in 1882.
- p. 20-22: Important Carpets in U.S.S.R.; Jaipur Carpets; Bijapur Carpet; Bharat Kala Bhavan | Illustrations of the "Pazyryk Carpet" (500 BCE) excavated from the Altai regions; the Animal and Bird Carpet and an 18th-century silk carpet in the collection of the Hermitage Museum, Leningrad; two Jaipur carpets woven in 1640 and AH 1101; one Bijapur carpet dated to late 17th/early 18th century; and one Mughal carpet in the collection of the Bharat Kala Bhavan, Benaras.
- p. 23-39: Dhamija, Jasleen, Survey of Pile Carpet Industry | One of the many views regarding the origin of the pile carpet attributes it to the nomads of the steppe lands in Central Asia. The earliest find (dated to 500 BCE) was in the Altai mountains. The writer surveys subsequent finds in Central Asia, and links the Indian carpet tradition with the Persian court, and describes some of the historical carpets in India. An organized carpet industry in India began with the Mughals, and Mughal miniatures of the period of Akbar and Jahangir depict carpets. Similar motifs were used in Mughal monuments and carpets. The article surveys the carpet industry in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, south India, Kashmir, and the Himalayan region.
- p. 40-42: Wattal, H.K., Technical Note on Pile Carpet Industry | The Indian pile carpet, usually of wool, is hand-knotted, and woven with traditional upright wooden looms. The basic fabric is woven in "plain weave", with several variants. The firmness, thickness, and appearance of the back of a carpet are the characteristic features which distinguish the products of different centres. From the days of the Mughals, the Indian carpet industry has been copying or adapting designs used in Iran and other rug producing countries. The future of the industry depends upon acquisition of adequate raw materials, a competent design service, and intelligent market analysis.
- p. 43-45: Kaul, P.N., Indian Carpets in World Market | The writer analyses the growth of the foreign market for Indian carpets (particularly in the UK and the USA), and the causes for this growth: variety in designs, low price, and government assistance.