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ARTIFACTS 1
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ARTIFACTS 2
In addition to the tribal and rural weaving of rugs, kilims and bags there is another whole group of textiles which are vital to the way of life of tribal and rural groups throughout Central Asia and North Africa - we call these "TRIBAL ARTIFACTS". They are both for daily use and ceremony. Fortunately they divide into three separate groups.
CLOTHING - Many items of headwear, belts, shawls, coats, even shoes are still made from the basic components of wool, goat and camel hair, silk and leather
THE HOME - Be it a tent or dwelling is decorated with long tent bands which are not only decorative but structurally important. Tassels and ropes are important as are cloths for spreading on the floor for communal dishes of food to be served. Door hangings to keep out the weather (and chickens) and other special hangings are often displayed on ceremonial occasions.
ANIMALS - for everyday work need saddle blankets but it is for ceremonial days they are at their finest. Superb head dresses, chest and back covers, even knee pads. Smaller animals have collars. There are even covers for the ends of tent poles being transported by camels.
ANTIQUE CERAMIC TURKISH TILED PANEL which is the last large panel of these tiles we discovered in a derelict warehouse in Malaga where they had been stored since the early 1980s. They are the work of the master ceramacist Azim Cini of the famous Kutahya Fabrika in western Anatolia. The collection has been authenticated by Bonhams in London. This large panel consists of 161 tiles which form the central panel and 60 narrower tiles which form the borders. It measures 480 x 160 cms., or 15 feet 9 inches x 5 feet 3 inches. The tiles are in good condition and stored in custom made wooden crates which are rubber lined. Reference 3056, Euros 3,600.
The interior of the Central Mosque in Washington DC has several panels and decorative arches lined with Kutahya tiles with a very similar design to our panel.
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I recently discovered a previously unknown cache of antique ceramic underglaze tiles which had been lying in an old warehouse in Malaga for the past 30 years. They have been accurately identified as the work of the Master Cermacist Azim Cini and were hand made, hand painted and fired in the Fabrika in the western Turkish town of Kutahya, circa 1920. The maker signs most of his work, usually in the centre of the bottom border. Most of the tiles measure 20 cms., or 8 inches, square and panels of various sizes are assembled from them. Additional shaped tiles are made for borders and special uses such as fireplace surrounds. In 1919 as the Ottoman Empire was crumbling many of the ceramic makers from Kutahya were recruited to carry out major renovations to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Many stayed on. All the tiles have been cleaned gently, thoroughly checked and are now packed in custom made boxes for storage and shipment. It was impossible to photograph this huge panel which consists of 997 individual tiles. It measures 10,4 x 2.4 metres or 34 x 8 feet. It is probably the largest single antique ceramic panel available today. It can be sub divided into several separate panels. THIS PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS ONLY 10% OF THE WHOLE PANEL. Guide price euros 18,,000.
MOROCCAN STONE LAMP Primitive but effective lamps are carved out of stone and may either be used with candles or oil in which a wick is burned. This is an old Berber piece from the Middle Atlas and both sides have hand carved decorations of the eye which, in Berber mythology, helps to keep evil away. Both types of lamps are shown in "Splendeurs du Maroc" on page 41. Reference 2593. Size 8 x 25cms. 3 x 10ins. Euros 86
PERSIAN ARTIFACT A wonderful example of hand beaten and hand made work by Persian craftsmen. This water jug would have been for use in a city house. The lid, surmounted by a bird, is particularly attractive and the piece dates from the first half, 20th century. Ref. 1976. Size 54 cms, 1ft 10ins, high. Euros 325.
RARE MOROCCAN BERBER SHOES dating from the first half of the 20th century and which are hand made from camel leather. The embroidery is hand stitched silk. They would have been used for ceremonial or important occasions. They were not for daily wear. They are from a Berber group in the Djebel Siroua region of the High Atlas pre-Sahara in southern Morocco. Two similar pairs can be seen in "Spendeurs of Maroc" published by Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale as plates 247 and 248 which are part of a private collection of rare Berber artifacts. Reference 2578. Size 25cms.10ins. long. Euros 265.
ANTIQUE WOOL CARDER -- a primitive sturdy tool used in the early stages of carding wool into lengths. These last for generations and are handed down through the families. This example is from Kurdish weavers in eastern Anatolia close to the Turkish/Syrian border and dates from around 1900. Reference 3183. Size 40 x 27 cms., or 16 x 11 ins. Euros 90.
AN ANTIQUE WOODEN DOOR of most unusual construction because it has been assembled from individual pieces which make up the whole door. It still has the original hand beaten bolt and hook for closing. Although found in Morocco where it had been abandoned in a barn for about 15 years, it may originally be from Andalucia. Use it a dramatic wall hanging, or on top of two trestles as a very unusual table or desk top. Ref. 2904. Size 174 x 78 cms., or 5ft. 10ins. x 2ft. 7ins. Euros 380.
ORIGINAL closing bolt and hook.
MOROCCAN BERBER WOODEN ARTIFACT Security - High Atlas style. This primitive hand carved wooden key with its equally primitive metal teeth would have been used to secure the door of a hut. It is an example of ingenuity and quite fascinating. I found it in the High Atlas. The depictions of every day objects for use in the design of Berber rugs is quite common. The excellent book "Ait Bou Ichaouen - Weavings of a nomadic Berber tribe" shows on Plate 87 a carpet of the Ait Rguig sub-tribe with depictions of a similar key throughout. Reference 2589. Size 21cms. 9in. long. Euros 55.
VINTAGE ceramic hand made underglazed tile from the workshop of Azim Cini, master cermacist at the Fabrika in the western Anatolian town of Kutahya, The deep rich blue is typical of their work. It was part of an elaborate wall panel. It will make a fascinating and colourful addition to the kitchen, perhaps as a pot stand or trivet. Reference 3157. Size 20 cms., or approximately 7 inches in diameter. Euros 20.
RARE ARCHITECTURAL PRINT -- in the early 1980s students of the Escola Tecnica Superior d·Arquitectura de Barcelona (founded in 1875) were invited to make original drawings of various aspects of the world famous Moorish Alhambra in Granada, southern Spain. The castle and complex was home to the royalty and Islamic leaders of the Moors from the mid 1300s until their expulsion in 1492. The drawings were published in 1986 by the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife and only four colour copies were made of each, of which this is one. It shows the Archway Gate and was drawn by Architect Josep m. Tarapu i Farran . Reference 3142. Size (framed) 47 x 34 cms., or 29 x 18 ins. Euros 85 unframed, Euros 98 framed.
CLOSE UP OF THE GATE.
CLOSE UP OF THE CERAMIC TILE WORK.
RARE ARCHITECTURAL PRINT -- in the early 1980s students of the Escola Tecnica Superior d·Arquitectura de Barcelona (founded in 1875) were invited to make original drawings of various aspects of the world famous Moorish Alhambra in Granada, southern Spain. The castle and complex was home to the royalty and Islamic Moorish leaders from the mid 1300s until their expulsion in 1492. The drawings were published in 1986 by the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife and only four colour copies were made of each, of which this is one. This drawing was made during studies in the period 1984/5 by architect Josep Ribas i Cevera and shows the wonderful Moorish ceramic tiles which were used to decorate the walls of the "Bano Real" (Royal Bathroom) in the Alhambra. Reference 3139. Size 34 x 47 cms., or 18 x 29 inches framed. Euros 85 unframed, Euros 98 framed.
