Over the years my interest in textiles has increased. I feel blessed to be working in such an interesting and varied field.
There is so much to learn!
At the fairs we meet two interesting groups of people- decorators and collectors. We love working with decorators approaching textiles asking: what does this textile do to the room I am working on? How can I best complement the furniture? Does this textile enhance or create a mood? Decorators look at textiles in terms of colour, texture, effect and presentation. Coming from Germany to England for our fairs made us realize tremendous cultural differences. The way our living rooms look is still influenced by the starkness prevailing in Bauhaus architecture in spite of the fact that weavings were an important product of the movement. On the contrary, we find a greater willingness to live with textiles, even though British contemporary design has turned away from the heavily chintzed interiors of the past.
Antique Textiles
Lime Green Brocatello Border
ID:
Age: 17 century
Origin: Spain
Size: 164 x 37 cm
Cashmere Long Shawl
ID:
Age: 19th century
Origin: India
Size: ca. 180 cm x 350 cm
Info: This Long Shawl, third quarter 19th century, is a remarkably finely woved and exquisitely designed piece. Very good condition.
Pua Kumbu
ID:
Age: early 20th century
Origin: Borneo
Size: ca. 110 cm x 200 cm
Info: This textile represents the belief sytem of the Iban tribes on Borneo. They believe that the Pua cloths convey unique spiritual powers in the service of their owners. The geometrically abstract patterns of Puas are always in earth tones.
Uzbec Silk Ikat Robe
ID:
Age: 19th century
Origin: Uzbekistan
Size:
Info: This is a luxury textile worn by one of the important and wealthy members of a tribe (naturally only worn by men). Brilliant colours and excellent condition.
Dutch “Kraplap”
ID:
Age: 18th century
Origin: Netherlands
Size:
Info: This beautiful European chintz was part of a costume worn by women in the area of Spakenburg
North African Prayer Textile (“Haiti”)
ID:
Age: 19th century
Origin: North Africa
Size:
Info: These come in different materials from light and flimsy to what we have here, a felted trade cloth.
Bursa Velvet Panel
ID:
Age: 19th century
Origin: Turkey
Size: 46cm x 110 cm
Sicilian Embroidery
ID:
Age: 18th century
Origin: Sicily
Size: ca. 120 cm x 260 cm
Info: this is a rare embroidery on gauze. It is in good condition with some losses on the outer border
Chinese Embroidery
ID:
Age: Qing period, late 19th century
Origin: China
Size: 172 cm x 73 cm
Info: It is a very pleasant design on light blue ground. The phoenix is traditionally a symbol of the empress, or the female principal in general, so it can be assumed that this embroidery was made for the women’s quarters.
Japanese Fukusode
ID:
Age: 19th century, Meiji period
Origin: Japan
Size: 62 cm x 69 cm
Info: Nobody wraps gifts like the Japanese! This is a silk textile woven in the Kesi technique, showing a samurai in dramatic posture.
Japanese Brocade
ID:
Age: late Edo period
Origin: Japan
Size: 192 cm x 62 cm
Info: To my taste, the Edo period has produced the most elegant and refined brocades. In the present example, the colours are soft and the design is flowing.
Antique Indian Blockprint
ID:
Age: ca. 1900
Origin: India
Info: Some repairs.
Price: 175 GBP
French Embroidery Panel
ID:
Age: mid 18th century
Origin: France
Size: ca 40 cm x 102 cm
Info: It is a very pleasant design in the the complementary colours of red and green. Good condition. There are three more panels similar in size.
Tibetan Double Vajra Appliqué
ID:
Age: 18th century
Origin: Tibet
Size: 40 cm x 38 cm
Info: This double vajra comes from a monastery and was used in Buddhist rituals. The vajra symbolises male energy. When the Lama crosses the bronze vajra and the bronze bell, which sybolises the female energy, in front of his chest he indicates the merging of the two energies. Our textile represents this moment.
English Crewel Work Panel
ID:
Age: 19th century
Origin: England
Size: ca. 140 cm x 100 cm
Info: Crewel work was very much liked for several centuries. The designs are variations of the same topic, a Tree of Life with flowers and animals. The wool of the embroidery is heavy and tends to damage the background material. This panel has been restored.
Kente Cloth, Ghana
ID:
Age: second quarter 20th century
Origin: Ghana
Info: An unusual Kente cloth in a heavy cotton material. The colour combination is also unusual. This robust material is perfect for upholstery.
Collectors are a different breed. Ikeep being astonished that the many, many cultures on the 5 continents of the earth, seem each to find one or several or many enthusiasts collecting their artefacts!
Textiles are basic necessities for humans, they cover us,warm and protect our bodies; we can express ourselves through the textiles we wear, show our wealth and status, signify our age and sex, our professions and whether we are married or single. Our textiles indicate our tribal identity and religion.
Each of these uses has found their collectors. As a dealer I am privileged to dip into this rich field and share my passion and my finds with my clients. A great many good pieces have passed through my hands into collections. This is really satisfying.
Textiles are a basic human need
The weavers´lives were hard in the hot and dry climates of Asia. Dusty brown was the dominant colour in the summer months. the vibrant rugs these women wove made a world of beauty and colour accessiblethat did not exist outside the tent. This tribal way of life has disappeared forever. Modern Westerners need to get accustomed to the visual language of rugs. We need to take time to look closely in order to see differences in quality. We need to compare naturally dyed rugs with chemically dyed ones. We need to develop a sensitivity for fine shades in colour. Chemically dyed wool refracts the light in a different way than naturally dyed wool does, the latter produces finely varied tones within one skein of wool, the former produces uniformly coloured wool.
Now, since images say more than words:
Image 1: some great pieces here! Image 2: This silver patterned textile from India was a great backdrop for a German Gothic sculpture. Image 3: A Turkish textile and an Italian embroidery, a cornucopia
We are an international gallery that exhibits regularly in London and the USA. Our warehouse focuses on antique textiles, antique rugs, European and Asian sculptures, ceramics and other artifacts.
