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Cicim and Zili - Focus session by Donna Endres at ACOR
in Boston
| Jozan Magazine April 30th, 2006
The American Conference on Oriental Rugs offered quite a few
interesting focus and hands-on sessions held by collectors and
rug-professionals.
One of the focus sessions "Cicim and Zili: Weft-Patterned Weavings of Anatolia" by Donna Endres on April 22nd, turned out to be a real hands-on session, with very interested collectors discussing textiles with Donna Endres long after her session had ended.
Donna Endres is the owner of Istanbul
to Samarkand Rug Gallery. Educated in art and art history, her "rug and textile life" began while living in Istanbul during the mid-80s, through study and visits to Anatolian weaving
centers.
“The immense variety in
both brocading techniques and the design canon is a tribute to the
creative genius of, primarily, Turkmen tribal weavers who brought
their design aesthetics with them from Central Asian to a new land
-- preserving and interpreting cherished motifs, while weaving in a
manner better-suited to the new lifestyle and climate. These
complex, largely overlooked vernacular weavings deserve much more
attention,” remarked Endres.
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Here, Donna holds a Central Anatolian cicim, perhaps from the area between Malatya and Sivas. This small
beautifully executed weaving, also contains combed wool tufts and strips of cotton fabric tied in rows, defining it as a “wish” cicim. Soft, black goat hair ground warps and wefts appear to have been dyed with indigo. According to woven structure expert, Marla Mallett, the design weft for this and other weavings deemed as “cicims” is an overlay-underlay sequence of three over, three under. Front and back configuration is shown. |
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| More photos from the
session: Click on images to
enlarge |
ADIYAMAN BROCADED PANEL. This is one half of a bi-paneled weaving on gray goat hair warps. Several types of brocading, including soumak, were executed in bands on the balanced ground. This particular type can be seen in Arend Bandsma and Robin Brandt’s FLATWEAVES OF TURKEY, p. 125, Plate 86. |
.BALIKESIR YUNCU BROCADED RUG. An identical type, from the Yürük Collection, Germany, is shown and described in Belkis Balpinar’s KILIM-CICIM-ZILI-SUMAK, pp. 104-05. The Turkman roots of such weavings are obvious. |
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KEÇMUHSINE STEPPED, OPEN MIHRAB, TREE-OF-LIFE PRAYER CICIM. Identical example from the Yüruuk Collection, Germany shown in KILIM-CICIM-ZILI-SUMAK, pp 80-81. Several examples have been published elsewhere. These very special weavings are highly regarded in Anatolia and rarely come onto the market. They hold special significance related to a religious concept of Kadiri and Hakçibendi Sufi sects, and as such are treated with respect. They are only made in Keçemuhsine, but other Central and Western Anatolian weavers immulate the general design. |
CAMEL WOOL BROCADED RUG FROM THE OBRUK YAYLA. Identical type collected from Konya’s Aladdin Mosque for Vakiflar Museum Study. See Balpinar and Udo Hirsh’ FLATWEAVES OF THE VAKIFLAR MUSEUM ISTANBUL, PP. 266-267. This is yet another typical type, woven by a segment of a tribal group in one of the villages of the former yayla (summer pasture) of Obruk (Konya area). According to Balpinar in KILIM-CICIM-ZILI-SUMAK, members of this tribal group live in different villages now, though they are of common origin. |
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CENTRAL ANATOLIA [MALATYA ?] WEFTLESS SOUMAK ALA CUVAL. This is one of a pair in
Donna Endres' collection. All ala cuvals are made in pairs. The warps in this one are of coarse black goat hair. Most of the soumak is countered, with some areas of plain soumak. Anatolian weavers do not produce much pure soumak, but use it in concert with reciprocal brocade on their cuvals. In the Hakkari area, Herki weavers use countered soumak on certain of their rugs. Plain soumak appears to be very rare in Anatolia. |
The SMALL BI-PANELED WEAVING on the floor is of a type Endres has not encountered since finding this one years ago. This humble-looking example, surprisingly, is decorated with luxurious silk “wish” tufts. (Also shown: Anatolian-Kilim-cache-in-Ethiopia discoverer, Martha Henze and textile collector, Toronto-based textile tour leader, Kathy
Green). |
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BERGAMA ALA ÇUVAL. This older bag is complete and typical for the area. These weavers place the pattern in horizontal bands across the bag, while most Central Anatolian weavers create two vertical pattern bands on their bags. |
NIGDE AREA YORÜK GRAIN BAGFACE IN ZILI TECHNIQUE WITH MEMLING GÜL DESIGN. Identical type shown in FLOWERS OF THE YAYLA, p 59, Fig 23, as part of Ralph S. Yohe collection. This ancient pattern is directly related to Turkmen güls. It is also seen in Caucasian rugs. On this Turkish type, the latch-hooks face inward. |
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KARAPINAR-OBRUK AREA, BI-PANEL STAR-MOTIF CICIM. Donna indicated that she has seen two others of this type, and a younger example is also part of her collection. She has not seen this type published. |
HATAY PROVINCE RAM’S HORN CICIM. Identical type shown in FLOWERS OF THE YAYLA, p. 46, Plate VI. |
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