KULA CARPETS
A detailed study of their weave
Ferenc Batari

The craft of carpet-knotting evolved in a nomadic, pastoral society. It is no coincidence that the basic natural material of a carpet is the wool of sheep or the hair of some other breed of animal, because vegetable fibres came to be processed only at a later time, among settled peoples practising agriculture. Carpet weaving then developed gradually into a more urban craft, in which the villagers' domestic industry or craft constituted a transitional phase. At the peak of this development was manufacturing for the court, which worked for the reigning ruler's residences, his houses of prayer and his immediate environs. The techniques used in both the Royal manufacture and by nomadic workers were essentially the same; an important difference, however, was that in town-made articles, the designer and the maker of the work was not always the same person.
In the Ottoman Empire ...

A rich group of embroidered textiles are attributed to the Greek islands of the Adriatic and Aegean, produced over a period of 300 years, and which have no rival in terms of variety, vivacity, technical skill and sheer creative genius. It is astonishing that works of this level did not develop within a rich, highly developed society, but were instead produced by embroiderers on poor, thinly populated islands, the targets for almost a thousand years of a never-ending procession of invaders. Islands often overwhelmed by natural disasters, or disasters provoked by man. These vicissitudes stimulated the local populations to create a decorative universe for the textiles which records how external influences were assimilated and translated into a homogeneous form of art. ...

The saqqa khaneh in Iran are the equivalent of the votive pillars to be seen in the European countryside: small kiosks that bear witness to faith, mysticism and the ancient beliefs of shepherds, peasants and villagers. Sometimes, they may be seen by springs of fountains: in an arid country such as Iran, the flowing of abundant, pure water has always been considered a divine gift. The small saqqa khaneh are often enriched with talismans or ex voto offerings, as well as home-produced pictures which are the authentic expression of local popular art.
Perhaps for this reason, they have given their name to a contemporary artistic movement in Iran which has not lasted long, but which has brought together a number of artists who shared a search for expression associated with the oldest popular art. Amongst the so-called group of saqqa khaneh painters are different artists, some of whom have followed an avant-garde artistic style of great modernity: one of the most celebrated of these in Iran is Parviz Kalantari. ...