ARTEFACTS. 2.
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ARTEFACTS. 2.
Behind the actual weavers in every rug weaving country from Morocco in the west to China in the east there is an army of skilled artisans who make the items they need. Other equally skilled workers make or process the materials such as looms, dyes, wool, silk, cotton and goat hair. In the major cities designers work on graph paper to out-create each other to draw magnificent intricate designs.
Other artisanal workshops make or repair furniture, ceramics, leather work and utensils and tools for houses, huts and tents.
I have been fortunate enough to travel many times in Morocco and Central Asia seeking out rugs. I also learned from restorers but I could never resist spending time looking for unusual artefacts.
Use one as a unique item in your decor.
1797 GREAT BRITAIN "CARTWHEEL" TWO PENNY COIN. Reference 3572. These are the most unusual coins ever made in Britain. To conquer mass counterfeiting of the coinage the government used the Soho Mint in Birmingham to undertake legal production. They were known as "Cartwheel" pennies because of their resemblence to a wheel with a raised rim around the edge. They were twice the thickness, and eight times the weight, of the penny coins used before them. Merchants and customers disliked the weight. Euros 65.
KING GEORGE 111 - Monarch of the period.
CHARITY TOKEN FROM MID VICTORIAN LONDON, DATED 1852. Reference 3573. Most people associate the run down area of Whitechapel in London`s poor East End of the late 1800s with the notorious murderer known as "Jack the Ripper", however there was good work going on as well. Benevolent businessman, Thomas Dickinson, bequeathed to the Rector of the local church of St. Mary a substantial sum to be used for the making of charity tokens which poor people could exchange for bread, coal and potatoes. The seller could then redeem the tokens for cash from the Rector`s fund. Care was taken to give the tokens to the woman of the family so that errant husbands could not squander them on beer and other vices. It is not known who actually made the tokens nor how many of each were made and there seems to be little information on the net. Curiously I worked in London for 7 years and lived in a hostal where, according to local history, one of Jack the Ripper`s murders was carried out. I can vouch that little architectural progress had been made from the Victorian times. Electric street lights had replaced the gas ones, but that was all. Euros 65.
THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY IN WHITECHAPEL was just outside the city of London boundary. It was destroyed by fire in the second world war and replaced by a memorial garden.
YEMENI SILVER AND METAL NECKLACE dating from the first half of the 20th century and made probably by Bedouin artisans. It is heavy and contains many different smaller items such as bells. It has a central tablet upon which inscriptions have been inscribed. It was probably used mainly on ceremonial occasions. Reference 3530. Length 50cms. Euros 95.
CLOSE UP OF THE TABLET from which dozens of bells, each hand made and different, are attached.
AFGHAN ANIMAL TRAPPING. This extraordinary neck band is from the region of Dowlatabad. There are four raised, round flower heads in the pile and from each one there are 2 small and 1 larger hand beaten brass bells. The beadwork is exceptional. In "The Carpets of Afghanistan" the author, R.D. Parsons, confirms that this type of bell is used for rams. The size of the piece indicates that it would have been a collar for a large male sheep. In "Horse and Camel Trappings from Tribal Iran" plate 69 shows a muzzle band from the Belouch of Khorassan, part of which has a very similar weave. Reference 2457. Size 61 x 8cms. 2ft. x 3in. Euros 160.
AFGHAN ANIMAL TRAPPING. This extraordinary neck band is from the region of Dowlatabad. There are four raised, round flower heads in the pile and from each one there are 2 small and 1 larger hand beaten brass bells. The beadwork is exceptional. In "The Carpets of Afghanistan" the author, R.D. Parsons, confirms that this type of bell is used for rams. CLOSE UP.
MOROCCAN BERBER SHEPHERD'S LEATHER POUCHES complete with hanging loops for attaching to a belt. Various small bagaand pouches are made from soft off cuts of skins and put to use. The Berbers waste nothing. These pouches have a narrow neck with a slanted opening which facilitates pouring and are made to contain fine powder, spices and sometimes tobacco. They are decorated with typical and traditional Berber designs. References 3180 and 3181, Size 15 x 7 cms., or 6 x 3 inches. Euros 35 each.
TRADITIONAL BERBER DESIGNS ARE ENGRAVED INTO THE LEATHER. Decorative tassels swing from the bottom part.
PERSIAN KURDISH ARTIFACT. This finely worked piece is a collar for a small animal and would be used on ceremonial occasions. The fine decorative tassels, adorned with cowrie shells, are intact and the piece is Kurdish work from western Persia. The dyes are natural. Reference 2319. Size 63 x 14cms. 2ft.1in. x 5in. Euros 75.
PERSIAN KURDISH ARTIFACT. This finely worked piece is a collar for a small animal and would be used on ceremonial occasions. The fine decorative tassels, adorned with cowrie shells, are intact and the piece is Kurdish work from western Persia. The dyes are natural. Reference 2319. Size 63 x 14cms. 2ft.1in. x 5in. Euros 75.
ANTIQUE MOROCCAN BERBER CAMEL SADDLE: sturdy hand made piece of vital equipment for the travelling Berber and which dates from the early 1900s. The framework is iron and wood and both surfaces are covered in strips of leather decorated with Berber designs. Each back rest has a thin, hand beaten, metal panel, again bearing fine floral designs. A Collector`s item. Reference 3562. Size 130 x 49 cms., or 52 x 21 inches. Euros 285.
CLOSE UP of the driver`s seat showing finely worked design in the backrest.
ANTIQUE OTTOMAN EMBROIDERY: This fine delicate embroidery dates from the last part of the 19th century and is from the Greek Islands which formed part of the Ottoman Rule of that time. It is in good condition and has been displayed for several years. Reference 3568. Size 85 x 50 cms., or 32 x 21 inches. Euros 135.
CLOSE UP of the typical portrayal of floral pots used by Greek weavers.
RARE PAIR OF HAND EMBROIDERED CHINESE PANELS: These finely worked panels were completed and finished before they were put to use. After a final examination they were sewn on to the lower part of the outer cloak. Other panels, which had been embroidered at the same time for the final assembly of the cloak were then added. This work dates from the middle to latter part of the 19th century. The frames in which they are displayed have ensured that the excellent condition has been mainained. Reference 3570. Frame size 57 x 14 cms., or 28 x 7 inches. Euros 130 the pair.
CLOSE UP (OPPOSITE) and MATCHING PAIR (ABOVE). The pair wee framed in Stuttgardt about 40 years ago.
DECORATIVE PANEL of 255 underglazed pottery tiles from the workshop of master potter, Azim Cini, in Kutahya which is a small town in western Anatolia (Asiatic Turkey). The nearby town of Izmit is more well known for its pottery but as long ago as the 18th century Kutahya was appointed as the supplier of choice for many state and government buildings throughout the Ottoman Empire. These tiles were made during the period 1925 to 1945 and are from virtually the same design as the huge wall panel which is part of the decor of the main Mosque and Islamic Centre in Washington, D.C. (shown below). Our panel is made up of tiles for the centre, borders and corners and measures 4,8 x 1,4 metres which is approximately 15 ft 9ins x 5ft 3ins.
THE RECEPTION ROOM OF THE MAIN MOSQUE AND ISLAMIC CENTRE IN WASHINGTON, DC. Our tiles are packed for storage and transport in newly custom made ammunition type boxes. They fit snugly and each tile is separated by padding from the next. They will make a dramatic wall panel or table surface in a stylish home. Reference 3582. Euros 3750.
PANEL OF 64 HAND MADE FIRED CLAY TILES mounted on a hessian covered board. This the work of Ron Hitchins, a London based Mexican/English artist and was made in the early 1960s. Reference 8043. Size 106 x 41 cms or 42 x 16 inches. Euros 220.
Close up of the designs clearly reveal an Aztec influence. The use of slightly larger tiles and more emphasis on bringing out the terracotta shades from his clay were a later development.
PANEL OF 51 HAND MADE FIRED CLAY TILES mounted on a deep brown hessian covered board. This is an earler work by the Mexican/English artist, Ron Hitchens and dates from the very late 1950s. Reference 8044. Size 109 x 43 cms or 26 x 10 inches. Euros 190.
Close up of his earlier more experimental designs are shown in this work. The tiles were slightly smaller and darker than the subsequent ones which were fired to a terracotta colour. The Aztec motifs provided an endless source of inspiration.
ANTIQUE MAP OF THE AREA SERVED BY THE PENNY POST FOR THE LONDON REGION AFTER 1860. Although there were variations on cheap postal deliveries as early as the 1680s around London it was not until 1860 that the business was regulated and eventually bought by the govenment of the day. For one penny (the postage stamp for this service was the famous "penny black" so sought after by collectors), customers could have delivered within this rough circle a letter or packet with a maximum weight of one pound (454 grammes). The geographical area was generous and the service revolutionised the postal service. (Perhaps it should be brought back today).
The text at the top of the map reads --- "A modern map of the countries (sic) twenty five miles around London. Drawn from accurate surveys, and engraved by J. Ellis." Underneath these words is another inscription which reads "Printed for Carrington Bowles in St. Pauls Churchyard, and Robert Sayer in Fleet Street, London." (You can enlarge to full screen this map by clicking left on your mouse) Reference 3439. Size 46 x 43 cms., or 18 x17 inches. Euros 175.
SET OF FOUR HAND EMBROIDERED CUSHIONS FROM Indian kashmir. The embroidery is fine hand spun wool and is applied with the chain stitch method. The designs are inspired by 18 th century work from Isfahan. Reference 3591. Sizes - all are 37 cms., or 14 inches square. Euros 78 the set of 4.
