The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22
RARE ORIENTAL RUGS ON VIEW
JOHN KIMBERLY MUMFORDS
COLLECTION EXHIBITED.

Beauties OF the weaver's Art Described 40
Length by Mr.. Mumford Himself
samarkahd Rugs Really C~hinese-F1ne
Examples OF Color Mastery Shown.
An exhibition of Oriental rugs was opened
In the Fifth Avenue Art Galleries yesterday
which people who appreciate these wonder
full works Of the weaver's art will regard
it a privilege to see. The exhibition is
made up of a collection of 500 of these Asiatio
floor coverings, brought together by John
Kimberly Mumford, author of Oriental
Rugs" a standard work on this fascinating
subject. The rugs are to be sold on
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and satur-
day next. ''-' "''
This Ia an unusual exhibition, not only in
its general nature, but in the fact that the
visitor may have the benefit Of what might
be called the personal guidance Of Mr.. Mum
ford, seeing the rugs with his eyes and with
the benefit OF his knowledge. He says in
the catalogue of No. 800:
This Persian silk rug is an object lesson
as well as a thing Of beauty. Viewed the
light way there is no color in this entire
rug which is not attenuated to the last
degree, The greens, yellows and bites are
all of the lightest, and even further deli
cacy is attained by the white spaces in the
borders, upon which the suggestion Of
floral forms is depicted.
Seen in its darker aspect, a wonderful
Transformation occurs, and the rug be-
comes a study in yellow and green tones.
in which the blue appears almost imper-
ceptible. The whites mentioned tn the
border are now a rosy tone and represent
pomegranates growing upon very realistic
branches. The flower devices all through
the rug tai on a new strength; and the
corners and centres have become deep
toned grounds Of green and blue. Alto
gether one of the most fascinating and
Elusive Of silk fabrics"
In many instances Mr.. Mumford has put
a great deal of technical information in the
catalogue. He explains what some III
ohaeers Of these ugs have not yet learned,
that the rugs commonly called Samarkand
are Chinese rugs: There is a rug Ok Mes
opotamia which the owner declares diScloees
the color mastery Of the Kurdish weavers in
a way such that it needs no further demon
stration. He gives rather a long andAnter-
esting disquisition on a red centred prayer
rug, which bears within itself evidence that
1t vas woven by Persian artists taken cap
tive and forced to work by the Turks;'
Included in the collection are eight origi-
nails Of plates in Mr.. Mumford's book ~Ori-
entail Rugs" 1t is an exhibition and a
sale to attract the interest Of all h like
Orientalrugs, and it may be said incidentally
that there are undoubtedly more of'these
rugs of high character owned in this coun-
try than In any other. The country 10
fortunate, for the fine old rugs are becom-
ing more and more scarce.
at is only a turn Of the wheel, y says Mr..
Mumford, Asince the Russian Railway was
finished, traversing the cherries Yomud
territory to the east Of the Caspian - i" .
Where the locomotive blackens the sky
the German drummer with his aniline dye
samples is the first passenger, and the Ger
Persian looms, is the second 49, We
are seeing the last of the old time Oriental
rug, the purest and perhaps the most per-
feet expression of all the panoramic life
and profound artistic impulse Of Asia"