Designs Patterns From North African Carpets Textiles

Rich amalgam of Islamic and North African design styles; most on grids. 340 illus.

This text is a survey of North African textiles from ancient Egypt to the present day. It is published to accompany two exhibitions at the Museum of Mankind: Modesty and Display: North African Textiles and Secular and Sacred: Ethopian Textiles.

This book brings together for the first time in one volume the wide range of patterns and motifs used in antique textiles in the East and West. It examines the treatment of similar patterns - floral, pictorial, tree and leaf patterns, crosses and so on - by weavers of different origins. Each chapter takes a theme out of which a number of patterns have sprung, and begins with a succinct explanatory text on interpretations of the theme by various weavers. This is followed by a wide selection of colour illustrations showing the diverse treatment of that theme in carpets and textiles, together with detailed captions describing the weavers' techniques and their use of pattern and colour. Superbly illustrated in full colour, this attractive and affordable book provides a rich source of inspiration for both designers and design students as well as being invaluable for carpet enthusiasts.

Following the tradition and style of the acclaimed Index Islamicus, the editors have created this new Bibliography of Art and Architecture in the Islamic World. The editors have surveyed and annotated a wide range of books and articles from collected volumes and journals published in all European languages (except Turkish) between 1906 and 2011. This comprehensive bibliography is an indispensable tool for everyone involved in the study of material culture in Muslim societies.

The role indigo has played elsewhere has been fairly well documented, but in the case of the Arab world, little or no thorough investigation has been previously undertaken. Sets out to provide comprehensive coverage of the subject from its earliest history to the present day.

This survey of textile fundamentals and methods, written by the foremost textile artist of the 20th century, covers hand weaving and the loom, fundamental construction and draft notation, modified and composite weaves, early techniques of thread interlacing, interrelation of fiber and construction, tactile sensibility, and design. 9 color illustrations. 112 black-and-white plates.