Ardabil and Coronation Carpets in Los Angeles County Museum of Art

This afternoon, I went to Los Angeles County Museum of Art with my wife and my younger son Kash to see the famous Ardabil and Coronation carpets. Both rugs looked amazing. If they could speak, they would tell us many sad and happy stories they have witnessed through all these long years.

The Ardabil carpet was put on display on a big one-foot high orange-red table on the floor. It looked beautiful. There was not that much information published on the wall. We asked the tired and unmotivated guard to see if they had any flyer, brochure or exhibition catalog and he said they did not have any. This was also the case for the magnificent Coronation carpet which was on display in the adjacent hall.

Few visitors were in the halls. I expected to see more people. The coronation carpet is worn out more than the Ardabil carpet. It might have been more in use than the Ardabil. However, the Coronation carpet has less repair with less damage. There is a chance that like the Ardabil, this rug has also a mate. But no one has ever seen or mentioned such a theory and possibility.

I went to the museum's bookstore to see if they had pictures or books on Ardabil and coronation carpets to sell. They did not have any. I am planning to go to LACMA again tomorrow to see the carpets again. I love to take this opportunity to see these two wonderful rugs as many times as I can.

Thanks to Farhang Foundation, a non-profit organization in southern California which has partnered with Los Angeles County Museum of Art to promote this event and make it more possible for the visitors to see these two rugs.

Khosrow Sobhe
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085

Ardabil carpets: A Brief Historical Review

Ardabil Carpets: An Interesting Journey Around the World

In addition to their beauty, incomparable qualities and dynamic place in history, Ardabil carpets have also been put in the hands of many people throughout their long existence. For more than 300 years, the carpets were located in a shrine in the city of Ardabil in northwest Iran. However, an earthquake in the late 19th century damaged the shrine and the carpets. This resulted in a chain reaction of events that would change the history of the Ardabil carpets forever.

Beginning of the journey

It is said that about 30 years before the earthquake, English visitors caught their initial glimpse of the carpets. Speculation says this may be the reason why the English were the first to purchase the carpets. Furthermore, it has been reported that possible reasons for selling the carpets to the English were to help cover the costs of repairs.

Nevertheless, the English carpet trading company, Ziegler & Co. bought the damaged carpets. Even though both needed repair, the only logical thing to do at the time was to take various pieces of one and use them to help restore the other. This resulted in one large carpet (in Victoria & Albert Museum in London) and another smaller, borderless carpet kept in Los Angeles Museum of Art.

Large Ardabil carpet gains notoriety

Approximately, in 1891, Vincent Robinson & Co. of London received the carpet from Ziegler & Co., and then Vincent Robinson & Co. put the carpet on public exhibition. The fact that the Ardabil carpet was hundreds of years old, contained an authentic inscription and had a one-of-a-kind existence, it gained much praise from popular newspapers and prominent community figures.

Even the famed artist, designer and painter, William Morris was in awe. He was so impressed with the carpet that he aggressively worked to obtain the carpet for the Victoria & Albert Museum in London – where it currently resides today.

Smaller, secret carpet revealed and sold

A few years later, it was rumored that there was another Ardabil carpet in existence. So in order to help sustain the value of the larger carpet, Vincent Robinson & Co. secretly sold the smaller carpet to Charles Tyson Yerkes, a wealthy American collector whose reputation was a bit questionable. Regardless, the goal was to keep the existence of a second carpet concealed, which meant Yerkes had to make sure the carpet never made its way back to England.

However, by 1910, Yerkes' entire collection of carpets, including the smaller Ardabil, was auctioned off. As a result, Dutch immigrant Joseph R. De Lamar bought the "secret" Ardabil carpet. Eight years later, well-known London art dealer, Sir Joseph Duveen, purchased the Ardabil after De Lamar's estate was sold. About 20 years later, J. Paul Getty bought the carpet from Duveen, and later gave it to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where it has remained for past several decades.


Khosrow Sobhe
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085

Los Angeles Is Getting Ready for Ardabil Carpet and Coronation Carpet

Los Angeles is getting ready for the Ardabil and Coronation carpets. Now a days, you can see the pole banners of Los Angeles County Museum of Art on all major streets of Los Angeles on "A Tale of Two Persian Carpets".

These beautiful and wonderful objects of art and masterpieces will be on display on November 14, 2009, next Saturday. Don't miss this one in years time opportunity.

Khosrow Sobhe
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085

Imaginery Knots: Celebrating the Origins of Persian Carpets

Farhang Foundation, together with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced the premiere of Imaginary Knots; Celebrating the Cultural Origins of Persian Carpets, taking place at LACMA's Bing Theater on November 24, 2009 at 7 p.m. Imaginary Knots is an original artistic performance and collaboration, which is presented in support of LACMA's A Tale of Two Persian Carpets: The Ardabil and Coronation exhibition at LACMA, November 14 to January 18, 2010.

For more information on this wonderful musical ans cultural event, please visit the link below:

http://www.farhang.org/events/imaginary-knots-celebrating

Khosrow Sobhe
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085