Romanian Academy Award

In December 2008 the volume Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania has been awarded the G. Oprescu Prize of the Romanian Academy in History of Art.  This is the most important award for a book in Romania and also one of the very rare academic awards for a carpet book, worldwide.

Museum für Islamische Kunst: Osmanische Teppiche in Siebenbürgen, Berlin, Oktober 2006 – Januar 2007

This is the first time after the great exhibition of 1914 from Budapest that rugs from the Transylvanian Lutheran Parishes are exhibited abr oad.

23 outstanding Ottoman rugs, from the secont half of the 15th century to the end of the 17th century, from the great Parish collections of Brasov (Kronstadt) and Medias (Mediasch) and from smaller Transylvania Parishes – Bagaciu (Bogeschdorf), Ghimbav (Weidenbach), Halchiu (Heldsdorf), Richis (Reichesdorf), Rupea (Reps), Sânpetru (Petersberg), Valea Viilor (Wurmloch) –, with examples from the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu were exhibited at the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin.

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Download the brochure of the exhibition (German)

Download article by Magdi Soos

Transylvanian tours 2004 – Marilyn R. Wolf reports

October 2004: rug-tour to Budapest. See report

Marilyn Wolf writes: Transyvaniacs met again in Budapest under the intrepid guidance of ‘Il Professore’, the ever-scholarly Alberto Boralevi, the indefatigable Stefano Ionescu, and aided by the wonderfully erudite Professor Ferenc Batári. Some 22 Italians and three Americans continued the on the trail of the “Hungarian” Transylvanians during 14 – 17 November 2004.

We were privileged to search the storage of the Applied Arts Museum, where we saw some beautifully conserved and maintained Transylvanians. We saw the breathtaking “Crevelli” on view at the Nagyteteny Castle and marvelled at the Transylvanians on public view at the Hungarian National Museum.

April 2004: rug-tour to Transylvania. See report

HALI 157, 2008: Lost in Transylvania by Judith Glass

HALI 157

Lost in Transylvania by Judith Glass

An amusing account of an eventful tour of Romanian Transylvania, led by Alberto Boralevi and Stefano Ionescu, in search of the the rug collectors’ Holy Grail, seen by the keen eye of  J. Glass, one of the participants.
Download the article.

Erdélyi Oszmán Szônyegek

Budapest, September 2007. The Hungarian version of the book, dedicated to Ferenc Batári, was presented on the second anniversary of his death.

Feri’s vast knowledge of the complex history of the region, including the religious background and the trade with the Ottoman Empire, qualifies him as the greatest expert on ‘Transylvanian’ carpets of the 20th century. As a rug scholar Feri had a life-long experience on Anatolian weaving.

As a consultant to the project, Ferenc Batári has been a major contributor to this work.

In the section In Memoriam Ferenc Batári the editor assembled short articles written by some of the closest friends of Feri: Edmund De Unger, Dr Nazan Ölçer, Dr Beata Biedronska-Slota and Prof Géza Fehérvári .

The complex process of reviewing the translation is due to the efforts of:

Dr. Emese Pásztor, Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest, Andrea Papp from the   History Museum of Transylvania in Cluj, and of rug enthusiast Botond Bilibók, Concorde, Budapest.

The XIth International Conference on Oriental Carpets , Istanbul 2007

The XIth International Conference on Oriental Carpets , Istanbul 2007

STRUCTURAL STUDY OF TRANSYLVANIAN GROUP AND IMPLICATIONS
FOR ATTRIBUTIONS TO ANATOLIAN CARPET PRODUCTION CENTERS
Presented by Ali Riza Tuna & Stefano Ionescu

Abstract : This paper is grounded on the information assembled during the preparation of the volume Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania , regarding over 250 examples of the “Transylvanian” group from Romania, Hungary , Germany and also from Turkish museums. The study shows the strong correlation existing in some cases between design and technical features, such as “stitchlike wefts” and weft colour changes, which can be used as “markers” of different groups. Extended statistical data , regarding these features is presented and analysed for the fist time , helping a more accurate attribution of “Transylvanian” group rugs to specific weaving centers from Anatolia.

Download the program of the conference.

Volkmanntreffen 2006 Berlin: Teppiche aus Siebenbürgen

The Volkmanntreffen Seminar, preceeded by the opening of the exhibition at the Museum für Islamische Kunst, was dedicated to the Transylvanian rug patrimony:

Friday 27 Okt
10:45 Uhr Herr Dr. Jens Kröger, MIK, Berlin
Emil Schmutzler und die Erforschung der osmanischen Teppiche in Siebenbürgen

11:30 Uhr Frau Dr. Angela Völker, MAK, Wien
Siebenbürger Teppiche auf Gemälden des 18. Jahrhunderts

14:00 Uhr Herr Dr. Volkmar Enderlein, Berlin
Persisch-safawidische Musterelemente auf Siebenbürger Teppichen

14:45 Uhr Frau Christine Klose, Karlsruhe
Zusammenhänge zweier früher Teppiche in Siebenbürgen mit timuridischen und turkmenischen Teppichen Download PDF

16:00 Uhr Herr Alberto Boralevi, Florenz
Unusual and Unique Examples of Early Ottoman Rugs in Transylvanian Churches and Museums

16:30 Uhr Herr Dr. Georg Butterweck, Wien
„Lotto“ – Teppiche in Siebenbürgen
Sonntag, 29. Oktober 2006

10:30 Uhr Herr Jürg Rageth, Basel
Des Rätsels Lösung!
Die Entlarvung von Teppichfälschungen mittels chemischer Farbstoffanalyse

11:30 Uhr Herr Stefano Ionescu, Rom
Ottoman Rugs from Transylvania in Western Collections

14:00 Uhr Führung durch die Ausstellung
Osmanische Teppiche des 15. – 18. Jahrhunderts aus sächsischen Gemeinden in Siebenbürgen

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