Exhibitions & EventsClasses
An Intimate Road Show with Jon Thompson, Honored Guest
Tuesday, October 16, 2012 |6:00 PM
Jumana Cooper, Alan Marschke,
Chris Martella and Ali Moiin
Cordially invite you to a support the
Asian & Islamic Art Forum
of the Detroit Institute of Arts
An Intimate Road Show
Jon Thompson, Honored Guest
The Tale of the Ardebil Carpets
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Detroit Athletic Club
241 Madison,Detroit, MI
$100 Includes
6:00 p.m. Cocktails and Strolling Dinner
7:00 p.m. Lecture
7:30 p.m. Rug Show
RSVP by October 12, 2012
Rachael Goodwin (313)833-4025, rgoodwin@dia.org
Bring your favorite carpet to show and share. Jon Thompson and local experts will pick amongst the best and share their insights and surprises.
The Tale of the Ardebil Carpets
When a spectacular, dated Persian carpet in apparently good condition was acquired by London’s South Kensington Museum in 1893 it caused a public sensation. By degrees it emerged that the carpet was not quite what it seemed to be, that its true history had been deliberately obscured and the existence of its pair intentionally concealed. This presentation tells the fascinating story of how the carpets’ unique history was gradually unraveled and adds new evidence to how the carpets were made.
Jon Thompson
Dr. Thompson has recently retired after six years of teaching and research as the May Hamilton Beattie Fellow in carpet studies at the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. He continues to teach part time at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. In 1980 he wrote with Louise Mackie '
Turkmen Tribal Carpets and Traditions', which became a standard work in the field. Since then he has written over forty articles, five books, the catalog of two collections and edited or co-edited a further four volumes in the field of carpets and textiles, both ethnographic and historical.
A portion of the cost of this event may be tax deductible. MC1742