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Conceived in antiquity and celebrated in the annals of recorded history, the Armenian textile arts reflect a splendid heritage spanning nearly 3000 years. Once a powerful nation, historical Armenia encompassed territory stretching from the Caucasus Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea. Their rugs were commissioned by kings, coveted as booty and carried along trade routes by Armenian merchants throughout the Eastern and Mediterranean worlds.
This exhibition presents approximately 45 outstanding examples of imaginatively designed and richly colored inscribed Armenian rugs from the 19th and early 20th centuries made for use in Armenian homes and churches. These rare examples are survivors of the near total destruction of the Armenian homeland early in the 20th century. Woven by Armenian women for their dowries, as memorial gifts to churches, for special celebrations or for commemoration, they speak to us through their inscriptions of the cultural practices of an ancient people and provide invaluable documentation for the study of the evolution and dissemination of carpet design.
The use of rugs is pervasive in Armenian society. They are placed on the floors, hung on walls, spread for dining and feasting, used for bedding and for transport and to cover the coffin at a burial. The proliferation of crosses and cruciform medallions reflect the Christian faith of the weavers, while depictions of the weavers themselves provide a glimpse of colorful traditional village costume. This exhibition was organized by the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in conjunction with the Armenian Rugs Society, an organization dedicated to the collecting, documenting and dispensing of knowledge of inscribed Armenian rugs.
-Loretta Boxdorfer
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