This publication traces and analyses the art of the oriental carpet over a period of two and a half thousand years. The author's research has resulted in completely new contextual insights amounting to nothing less than a revision of the history of the oriental carpet. He has been able to trace patterns back to Phrygian and other traditions, which survived in the work of Armenian craftsmen up to the beginning of our own century: carpets as symbols of power and as deeply religious abstract textile icons.
The oriental carpet is neither of nomadic origin, nor do its origins lie in central Asia; it is a product of ancient oriental civilizations in the Armenian uplands at the crossroads of the oldest trade routes between west, north and south. The author's assertion is supported by an unprecedented wealth of full-colored illustrations showing the finest and most important examples of the art of the carpet. The illustrations include book illumination, painting, decorative art and architectural details and elucidate previously unknown developments.
This work documents what is probably Armenia's greatest contribution to cultural history. It is a must for any connoisseur of carpets and for anyone who does not wish merely to dream of the Orient.
Date Published 6/1/1998
Ratings
Rated By: 72663.3265
From: CT USA
Rating:
Comments: guarded praise a mildly goofy interpretation that claims Armenian Christian origin for oriental carpets, ill organized, with excruciating page layout, but the sources consulted and the rich illustration make an interesting read and as well an incredible bargain
Rated By: A reader
From: Unavailable
Rating:
Comments: Questioning Oriental Carpet Authority Dr. Gantzhorn's book is both a fabulous bargain, with over 600 beautiful color plates, and a ground-breaking work of art history scholarship. If you are open to an iconoclastic view of carpet weaving history, i.e., history which differs from the official one, you owe it to yourself to consider Dr. Gantzhorn's carefully researched and documented thesis.
Rated By: Allan Avery
From: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Rating:
Comments: Good Text for a Course This is a beautiful book with careful drawings and magnificent color photographs. It is a serious scholarly work. An ideal text for a course on Oriental Carpets.
This publication traces and analyses the art of the oriental carpet over a period of two and a half thousand years. The author's research has resulted in completely new contextual insights amounting to nothing less than a revision of the history of the oriental carpet. He has been able to trace patterns back to Phrygian and other traditions, which survived in the work of Armenian craftsmen up to the beginning of our own century: 
