The "Gabbeh."
In each of the broad
categories for discussion, particular questions will also be directed
towards a recent trend in the West towards the purchase of a particular
type of carpet, commonly referred to as the
"Gabbeh ". Since approximately 1980, the Gabbeh has
risen in popularity
amongst dealers, collectors, and auction houses, as a highly desirable
example of tribal weaving. What is interesting about the Gabbeh,
is its
particular social history. Produced by the tribes of South West
Iran such
as the Luri , and Qashqa'i , they were originally intended only
for
domestic use. Eventually ceasing full scale production in there
original
context, the Gabbeh has recently been reproduced in large numbers
to meet
demand from the Western market. As one Hali commentator noted
during the
1995 International Conference on Persian Carpets in Iran, "the
coarse,
multi weft, high pilled Gabbeh [were] available by the thousands
at the
exhibition.... Within the past two decades the older ones have
caught fire
with Western collectors, primed by modern painting to appreciate
their
large scale colour field patterns." Evidence to the fact
that the Gabbeh
has become recently celebrated in the West can also be seen in
the current
popularity of Mohsen Makhmalbaf's movie and pseudo documentary
of the same
title. Westerners, fascinated with the Oriental cosmology, have
been
largely responsible for the re-emergence of this weaving tradition
throughout Iran.
Traditionally, Gabbehs were woven on a wool warp and weft
with the
possibility of either a asymmetrical or symmetrical knot. It is
generally
acknowledged that there is "no typical Gabbeh structure."
Some may have
many weft shoots where as others have only one or two. Usually
"squarish in
shape," both new and old Gabbehs demonstrate the use of
vegetable or
synthetic dyes. What is true to all Gabbehs however, is a general
aesthetic unity. Usually, consisting of a thick, long pile, they
are known
for their bright colours, open fields, and highly simplistic and
minimalist
motifs. Occasionally they are also woven on both sides, a process
called
patuee, for use as mattresses and blankets. Regretfully, I have
been
unable to obtain two key works on the origin and possible meaning
of the
Gabbeh in its original context, though I am attempting to do
so. For the
record, Woven with Love, by Sadeqi Fasai and the three volume
study by
George D. Bornet entitledGabbeh, are considered to be the most
advanced
attempts at placing this rug in Iranian social history.
Gabbeh Examples
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