“Out of The Caucasus: Caucasian Carpets from A Private Collection”

with

Alan Campell, Architect and Collector,

San Diego

Caucasian carpets and flatweaves have long been a staple of oriental carpets, and have been among the most collector-desireable rugs of the past century. Their usual bold designs and colors easily identifiable, and attract all levels of collectors.Woven in various parts of the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian, and Russia and Iran, each Caucasian weaving has the character of its origins. Kazak, Kuba, Karabaugh, and Shirvan are some of the districts which have produced Caucasian carpets.

Alan Campbell grew up in a household furnished with antique Caucasian carpets.  He bought his own first rugs when he was a student in the Boston area in the early 1970's.  Alan has an eclectic collection, but his first love has always been Caucasian carpets, which were included in his parents’ home.  He does not collect by type, but buys whatever appeals to him.  Alan is concentrating now on trying to find pre-commercial examples (before designs were standardized for the Western market around 1880) that are beautiful and unusual.  This program will be a Show & Tell, and Alan will bring mostly pile rugs, with maybe a Soumak, a kilim, and a few Shasevan bag faces.  He invites TMA/SC members to bring examples of Caucasian rugs to add to the Show & Tell