SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2012
 

Val Arbab

 Oriental Carpet Appraiser, ASA, ISA-CAPP, & Collector

La Jolla, California

South Persian rugs and trappings are some of the most charming and colorful ever made.  Usually (or originally) woven by nomadic peoples, many weavings that were made in the 19th and early 20^th centuries were made for self-use in traditional formats, dictated by tribal traditions (although we suspect, as shown by Ann Nicholas and Rich Blumenthal, that many of the South Persian pile bags were in fact made for export.)  These nomads wove on portable looms, in the lowlands in the winter, and in the high mountains when they had driven their flocks to summer pastures.  Some of the tribes that fall into this category of “South Persian” include the Afshars, the Khamseh, the Lurs, the Bakhtiari and the Q’ashq’ai.  Among her many rug collections, Val Arbab has a superb selection of South Persian weavings, collected over the past 40 years, which she will share with TMA members in a show & tell program.

Val Arbab is one of most knowledgeable Oriental rug appraisers in the US, and is certified at the highest level.  She was born in Ukraine, crossed Europe with her family in a covered wagon as a teenager during WWII, and eventually landed in the US.  After 20 years as a top surgical nurse at local hospitals, including UCLA, she changed careers, and became an antique Oriental carpet dealer in La Jolla, and an intensely enthusiastic scholar and collector of rugs.  In 1980 she sold her rug store, and has been appraising carpets and consulting as an expert witness since then for insurance companies, the US government, and in court cases.  She collects in many categories of rugs, but South Persian rugs are some of her favorites.  Val has been a member of TMA/SC for more than 20 years and is a past President.  She invites TMA/SC members to bring South Persian rugs and trappings from their collections for show & tell,