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6 Contents In this issue Issue 226 Winter 2025 48 Compass 11 Editorial The relocation of items held in storage by the V&A has resulted in greater access to previously hidden artefacts 25 Dialogue Louis XIV's Savonnerie carpets; Papua New Guinea's fifty years of independence; History of the suzani; New museum space at the Princeton University Art Museum; Korea's first gallery of Islamic arts; R.L. Shep Memorial Book Award; New Native North America gallery; Five Continents at the Louvre 28 Diary HALI's recommendations for the quarter 31 Calendar Auctions, exhibitions, fairs and conferences 32 Thread of time Rachel Meek Meanings of boats on a palepai from Lampung and a 'Portuguese' carpet from Khorasan 34 Profile Ben Evans Alex Zadah discusses how the carpet scene has changed and adapted across successive decades 36 Interview Malin Lonnberg Lekha Poddar-collector, philanthropist and businesswoman-on attitudes to textiles in India 38 Common thread Uses and tastes for Indian printed cotton cloths across different regions Features 42 London's pride Several people assess the V&A's new initiative, which allows the public to view artefacts by appointment at the East Storehouse 48 Looking to the East Alberto Boralevi An exhibition at MITA aims to engage a wider public in the appreciation of Chinese carpets 54 Shared aesthetics Talia Spielholz A fresh look at a remarkable collection of textiles gifted to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in the 20th century 60 The art of shawl-making Cyrus Naji Eight paintings by the 19th-century Sikh artist Bishan Singh sold for over £1 million at Christic's 68 Preserved in pigment Jordan R. Quill Tibetan temple paintings record thigma, tie-dyed woollen cloths from ca. 1200 82 When turkey red ruled the roost Susan Meller For more than half a century, British firms exported vast quantities of cloth of a particular shade to India 84 Facing death Isaac Facio, Nneka Kai, L. Vinebaum and Anne Wilson An Art Institute of Chicago exhibition shows how textiles sustain belief and help us cope with grief

Contents 7 0077 68 38 60 Reviews 90 Well met by moonlight The continuity of expression in photographs of the Javanese temple, Borobudur, and batiks from the collection of Jonathan Hope 114 Behind the veil Snezhanna Atanova The unique construction, design and role of rubands and chasmbands 92 Threading her way Magali An Berthon A Paris exhibition explores Sheila Hicks's creativity and friendship with Monique Lévi-Strauss 100 Dynamic development Ben Evans A carpet that is testament to the Textile Museum founder'seye, and the evolution of carpet design 102 Flowers from the Land of the Five Rivers Saima Kaur An extract from Threads of Time: A Cultural Journey, on the phulkari of Punjab 122 Time to rewrite ikat history? An unusual 14th-century geringsing is C-14 dated and the subject of intense study 108 Eternal order Jill D'Alessandro An abridged essay from the new book on Michael Mandapati's collection of kilims 126 Finding the plot Ana Kol The characters and narrative of an Indo-Portugese textile from the Karun Thakar collection 132 Both sides of the moon Monisha Ahmed A TAPI Collection exhibition of 'moon shawls' and reversible examples 136 Informed interpretation Shannon Cherry and Ellie Welch A major Pitt Rivers Museum project offers opportunities for improved access and better conservation of the textiles collection 140 Exhibition reviews 'White Gold: Cotton in the Art of the Soviet East', State Museum of the East, Moscow, reviewed by Natalia Glazovskaya; 'Faig Ahmed: Epoch 20112024', Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Baku, and 'Mystic of Matter', Purdue University, Indiana, reviewed by Ella Haig; The Art of Oriental Carpets', Handarbetets Vänner, Stockholm 148 Conference review 9th IASSRT Conference, UC Berkeley, reviewed by Joan Hart Marketplace 150 Auction preview 'The Pip Rau Collection of Ikats, Embroideries and Costumes', Olympia Auctions 152 Auction price guide International auction results of note 160 Last page A Paris show created by Christian Louboutin looks into the role of Indian textiles in cultural exchange

Page Text

Contents

In this issue

Issue 226 Winter 2025

48

Compass

11 Editorial

The relocation of items held in storage by the V&A has resulted in greater access to previously hidden artefacts

25 Dialogue

Louis XIV's Savonnerie carpets; Papua New Guinea's fifty years of independence; History of the suzani; New museum space at the Princeton University Art Museum; Korea's first gallery of Islamic arts; R.L. Shep Memorial Book Award; New Native North America gallery; Five Continents at the Louvre

28 Diary HALI's recommendations for the quarter

31 Calendar Auctions, exhibitions, fairs and conferences

32 Thread of time Rachel Meek Meanings of boats on a palepai from Lampung and a 'Portuguese' carpet from Khorasan

34 Profile

Ben Evans Alex Zadah discusses how the carpet scene has changed and adapted across successive decades

36 Interview

Malin Lonnberg Lekha Poddar-collector, philanthropist and businesswoman-on attitudes to textiles in India

38 Common thread Uses and tastes for Indian printed cotton cloths across different regions

Features

42 London's pride Several people assess the V&A's new initiative, which allows the public to view artefacts by appointment at the East Storehouse

48 Looking to the East

Alberto Boralevi An exhibition at MITA aims to engage a wider public in the appreciation of Chinese carpets

54 Shared aesthetics

Talia Spielholz A fresh look at a remarkable collection of textiles gifted to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in the 20th century

60 The art of shawl-making

Cyrus Naji Eight paintings by the 19th-century Sikh artist Bishan Singh sold for over £1 million at Christic's

68

Preserved in pigment

Jordan R. Quill Tibetan temple paintings record thigma, tie-dyed woollen cloths from ca. 1200

82 When turkey red ruled the roost

Susan Meller For more than half a century, British firms exported vast quantities of cloth of a particular shade to India

84 Facing death

Isaac Facio, Nneka Kai, L. Vinebaum and Anne Wilson An Art Institute of Chicago exhibition shows how textiles sustain belief and help us cope with grief

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