Please send a copy of any published review for our press archives.
Thank you!
P RES S RELEA S E
TURKMEN CARPETS Masterpieces of Steppe Art,
from 16th to 19th Centuries
The Hoffmeister Collection
Elena Tsareva
Please send a copy of any published review for our press archives.
Thank you!
TURKMEN CARPETS
The Hoffmeister Collection
Press release
Turkmen Carpets -
Four centuries of knotwork masterpieces from Central Asia
Red tones in every shade and cryptic symbols – this is the world into which
the beholder of historical Turkmen carpets immerses and under whose spell
they are cast. But what does the colour red signify for the artisans of these
fascinating knotted works? And what messages are conveyed in the complex
and diverse execution of their patterns and designs?
The publication Turkmen Carpets gets to the bottom of this issue. The foun-
dation for this is the Hoffmeister Collection, one of the best and most com-
prehensive private collections of antique and historic Turkmen knotted car-
pets in Western Europe and America. It is able to stand up alongside the
most important collections in Western museums as well as those in Russia
and Turkmenistan. In approximately 200 cultish and everyday items – carpets
and bags, in particular – artistic excellence and historical significance are
brought together in their own unique way. Hoffmeister was one of the first to
determine the age of these Turkmen knotted works with the help of radio-
carbon techniques. The conclusion of ETH, the science and technology uni-
versity in Zurich: the earliest pieces from the collection date from the six-
teenth century. The reader can literally feel the texture of these knotted
wares through brilliant photography, which carries them away on a journey
into the lost world of the steppe folk of Central Asia.
Not only do the illustrations offer a currently unique approach to this equally
complex and exciting phenomenon. The catalogue section is ordered accord-
ing to origin and type, accompanied by one of twelve texts subdivided into
‘stories’ – a different approach to most of the publications on this subject.
Each one explains to the reader a distinctive feature of each group of carpets
– be it about the history of its origin, the preferred ornamentation, the par-
ticular kind of knotting or the contacts to other cultures and ethnic groups.
‘Story 9’, for example, describes the spiritual centre Amul at the Middle Amu
Darya, the ‘Babylon’ of Central Asia, where the melting pot of cultures pro-
vides notable magnificence, diversity and originality to the tribal carpets of
the region. This background enables the author Elena Tsareva to discuss not
only the cultural significance of the collection but also the scientific and ar-
tistic value of the pieces.
Brilliant illustrations, some shown in extended foldouts, and informed texts
carry the reader off – in English as well as German – on a journey of discovery
into the fascinating world of Turkmen knotted works. An indispensible book
for all fans of Central Asia or enthusiasts of historical carpets and textiles.
Please send a copy of any published review for our press archives.
Thank you!
TURKMEN CARPETS
The Hoffmeister Collection
Contents
Daniel Shaffer: Preface
Peter Hoffmeister: Introduction and Acknowledgements
Introduction
The Historical Background
THE FIRST STORY
Salors and Chodors. Partners or Rivals?
THE SECOND STORY
The Salors. Voices from the Past. Only Masterpieces.
Images.: Cat. No. 1–17
THE THIRD STORY
Saryks. Who invented Symmetric Knotting?
Images: Cat. No. 18–27
THE FOURTH STORY
Tekke. Newcomers to the Field. To Sell or not to Sell?
Images: Cat. No. 28–73
THE FIFTH STORY
The Yomut. Between the Caspian and the Amu Darya.
Images: Cat. No. 74–86
THE SIXTH STORY
The ‘Eagle’ Group. Who were the Weavers?
Images: Cat. No. 87–91
THE SEVENTH STORY
Chodor und Igdyr. Purple as the Ploughed Earth.
Images: Cat. No. 92–103
THE EIGHTH STORY
The Arabachi. Rare and Beautiful.
Images: Cat. No. 104–106
THE NINTH STORY
Middle Amu Darya. The Babylon of Central Asia.
Images: Cat. No. 107–134
THE TENTH STORY
Unidentified Rugs. To Attribute or not?
Images: Cat. No. 135–139
THE ELEVENTH STORY
Tent Bands. Children of the Steppes.
Images: Cat. No. 140–166
THE TWELFTH STORY
Flatweaves and Embroidery of the Turkoman.
Images: Cat. No. 167–168
Description and Analysis of Objects
Cat. 1-168
Imprint
Please send a copy of any published review for our press archives.
Thank you!
TURKMEN CARPETS
The Hoffmeister Collection
Publication und Author Information
Publication
Elena Tsareva
TURKMEN CARPETS
Masterpieces of Steppe Art,
from 16th to 19th Centuries
The Hoffmeister Collection
192 pages, 24.5 x 32 cm, 185 colour illustrations, fold-out. Hardcover with
dust jacket. Text in English, with German translation.
€ 64,80 | US$ 95 | £ 55
ISBN: 978-3-89790-342-5
About the Author
Elena Tsareva is a curator and academic and spent several decades working
at the Russian Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg before moving to the
Kunstkamera, also in St. Petersburg. As a specialist in Central Asian and
North Eurasian art, she carries out her research notably within the field of
carpets and textiles.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us:
ARNOLDSCHE Art Publishers
Winfried Stürzl, Annabell Schwarz Tel: +49|(0)711|64 56 18 - 14
Liststraße 9 Fax: +49|(0)711|64 56 18 - 79
D – 70180 Stuttgart Email: [email protected]
For further information
on our programme:
www.arnoldsche.com
Would you like to take a glimpse into the book and have a leaf through it?
Then just visit our newly designed website. There you can find out more
about our book Turkmen Carpets. We look forward to your visit!
www.arnoldsche.com
