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Carpet scholar
C.G. Ellis called the later
Lotto field patterns “kilim” and “ornamented”, and the earlier
patterns "Anatolian”. Even though there are no existing old
carpets that actually have an “Anatolian” field with this kind
of Cartouche border, Chris made one, and is very happy with
the result.
“Vermeer might have agreed
with us, as he shows the cartouche border pattern clearly, but
the field pattern is out of focus. For me, he is saying, he likes
this border but the field wasn't worth painting in detail.”
Another example of how Chris
deals with these challenges of tradition and innovation is in
the condition of the “corner solution”, where the major
horizontal and vertical borders come together. Classic
Anatolian designs with completely resolved corner solutions are
not unknown, but they are relatively rare. He
struggled with this for a long time, because he wanted to be
accurate to the feel of the carpets, but it seemed willful to
leave the corners unresolved, when most of the time, he could
through his detailed drawings, work it out. |
Chris now typically uses two basic types of corner solutions, both of
which can be seen in the antique carpets. One turns the corner
with a mitered motif that is structurally related to the design
of the main border. The other resolves the corner by running
the horizontal line and the vertical line of the borders into
one another like many of the antique carpets do, but in a more resolved way,
so that the individual elements of the border are kept
relatively whole rather than fragmented.
Chris says “In the final
analysis, we are not making copies, nor originals, rather we are
designing our own carpets, with these classical designs as
inspirations, coming from a dedicated quest towards
understanding and appreciation of these timeless precedents. When
we do something different, we do it very consciously, still
keeping to the spirit of the old carpets. Thus we see ourselves
as part of this craft tradition, picking up a dropped thread, in
continuity with something that has gone on for thousands of
years, and “Inshallah”, God willing, shall go on for thousands
more.” |
