Art Review Presentation | Nickle Galleries | March 2025 Winter
Earth and Sky: Carpet Cultures of Asia
Types of Artworks: Carpet
Location: Nickle Galleries, University of CalgaryEvent Time: February 6, 2025 – April 26, 2025
Open Time:
◈ Monday – Friday 9:00 - 4:00 pm
◈ Thursday 9:00 - 8:00 pm
◈ Saturdays 11:00 - 4:00 pm
◈ Closed Sundays and holidays
The time I visited: February 7, 2025
“Earth and Sky: Carpet Cultures of Asia” is a comprehensive exhibition at Nickle Galleries that features a collection of superb carpets and textiles from various regions of Asia, including the Caucasus and Northwest Persia, Iran, and Eastern Anatolia. While the exhibition is a collective display rather than a single artist’s work, it brings together works created by skilled artisans to showcase the different traditions, styles, and aesthetics of Asian carpet making.
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Introduction Carpet
A carpet is a thick textile material used as a floor covering, usually made of wool, cotton, silk or synthetic fibers. Carpets can be woven, tufted or knotted, and come in a variety of sizes, colors and patterns.
Carpets are both practical and decorative, that carpets provide warmth, comfort and sound insulation, and reflect the cultural traditions, artistic styles and craftsmanship of different regions.
Types of Carpets:
Handwoven Carpets – Traditional, intricate designs.
Machine-Made Carpets – Mass-produced for affordability and convenience.
Wall-to-Wall Carpeting – Covers entire floors, commonly used in homes and offices.
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Style of Carpet
These carpets are repetitive and symmetrical in style, using bright colors, complex geometric patterns and symbolic patterns such as plants, and animal.
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(Plants) Floral Patterns' Carpets
In traditional carpets, plants (most is floral) patterns are used to create a sense of elegance and luxury, symbolizing beauty, nature, abundance and vitality. And also they represent growth, harmony, and spirituality. Some cultures believe that flowers bring good luck and positive energy to a space. Different flower has a special meaning.
For example:
The rose symbolizes love and passion.
The lotus represents purity and spiritual awakening.
The tulip is associated with prosperity and perfection.
The teardrop-shaped patterns that appear in some carpets are often interpreted as buds or immature flowers, called Boteh (Persian), symbolizing the potential for growth and regeneration.
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Blossom carpet, 17-18th century
Karabakh, South Caucasus
pile woven: wool, cotton
Floral carpet, 17-18th century
Karabakh, South Caucasus
pile woven: wool, cotton
Kuba carpet, 18-19th century
North-East Caucasus
pile woven: wool, cotton
Bijar carpet sample (vagireh), circa 1890
North West Iran
pile woven: wool
The Jean and Marie Erikson Collection
Bijar carpet sample (vagireh), last 19th century
North West Iran
pile woven: wool, cotton
Collection of Nickle Galleries, UC
Up - Down
1. Heriz carpet sample (vagireh), last 19th century
North West Iran
pile woven: wool, cotton
Collection of Nickle Galleries, UC
2. Bijar carpet sample (vagireh), circa 1875, others same as the up carpet
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Serapi carpet sample (vagireh), early 20th century
North-West Iran
pile woven: wool, cotton
Collection of Nickle Galleries, UC
Garden carpet fragment, 17th century
Khorasan, North-East Iran
pile woven: wool, cotton
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Animal Patterns' Carpets
Animal patterns in carpets symbolize strength, protection, spirituality, and nature. Different animals carry unique meanings and are often woven into carpets to tell stories or reflect cultural beliefs.
For example:
Lions – Represent power, authority, domination, and royalty or courage. Often seen in ancient noble carpets.
Dragons – Found in some Asian carpets, symbolizing strength, wisdom, and protection.
Birds – Represent freedom, peace, transcendence, and spirituality.
Deer – Associated with grace, gentleness, and nature.
Fish – Symbolize abundance and good luck in many cultures.
Tree and Bird Carpet, circa 1920
Karabakh, South Caucasus
pile woven: wool
The Jean and Marie Erikson Collection
Khamseh carpet, 1875-1900
South West Iran
pile woven: wool
Collection of Nickle Galleries, UC
Khila carpet, circa 1890
East Caucasus
pile woven: wool, cotton
The Jean and Marie Erikson Collection
Kurdish carpet, 19th century
North West Iran
pile woven: wool, cotton
The Jean and Marie Erikson Collection
Kazak carpet, circa 1880
South Caucasus
pile woven: wool, cotton
The Jean and Marie Erikson Collection
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Geometric Patterns
the regular geometric patterns symbolize the order and balance of the world and the universe. A combination of different shapes and sizes give different emotions and feelings to the audience.
A square can give audiences a sense of stability and order, a triangle gives a feeling of active and unstable, and a circle gives peace and gentleness. Of course, these feelings are not absolute, each audience will have different perceptions, and with the combination of different shapes, they can change the feelings they give to the audience. For example, a spiral pattern composed of several circles will give audiences a feeling of dizziness, restlessness, and activity, which is completely opposite to the feeling that a circle gives audiences.
Kilim, 19th century
Central Anatolia
tapestry weave: wool
Collection of Nickle Galleries, UC
Kilim, 18th century
Hotamis, Central Anatolia
tapestry weave: wool
Collection of Nickle Galleries, UC
Yomud-Turkmen shaped carpet (salachak), circa 1900
Central Asia
pile woven: wool, cotton
Collection of Nickle Galleries, UC
Ersari-Turkmen Door Rug (engsi), circa 1900
Central Asia
pile woven, wool
The Jean and Marie Erikson Collection
Prayer Rug, circa 1860
North-West Iran
pile woven: wool
The Jean and Marie Erikson Collection
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Conclusion
Through the above introduction, I believe all of you must have a clear understanding of those carpets in the Nickle Galleries, but please note that for all the artworks on site, only the current owner and the approximate production time are known. The specific creator and time are unknown, and these works cannot be found on the Internet. If you want to see these works up close, please go to Nickle Galleries before April 26, 2025.
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