The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-06
THINGS TO Be SEEN In OLD RUGS
AZ bNnIEiT ar RARE LOtN> ~
IHE METROPOLITAN M SEI ".
The flichnsss Of Private Collections Opens
lsHisisa, Opport uniiirS of ssusl, To
Nisitars- Dr. sairntinrr A,,oiishes the
tnchantms Tradition Of polsnaisr.


II n a very sual eNhihitinn thar was
opened y, the Metropolitan Museum OF
Art IN Tuesday. the loan exhibition OF
brlaaasAl rugs which for tho short time
VIII ccfa1py ths gallery that last year
Wis csftsJ Tho Whistler room in the new
w&ksE The mussum itself would not
!" SlRls 70 present such AN exhibition out
Uf ~ cwn posssssions aud no general
loan exhibition under less dlgnitied ana
sar'ne conditions would bs likely 20 be
nbls to ob'sin such masterpieces from
their owners. who are naturally unwilling
10 part wirh them e"o-I ior time. 10 ~
nothing Of the hazards involved Ia ham
ding and Il lnsportlng them
There ar. forty-nine Of the rugs. and
rare treat they offer To admirers of the
rich beauty IN color and the fascinating
intriracy 81 design 81 these anc lent
fabrics. With the Oriental rugs that In
common parlance are spoken 1T a. an
tiq,lA-AmaricAns- are fairly familiar. In
organizing this exhibition the museum
authorities purposed offering visitors the
opportunity to examine the really old
rug. products of the centuries from H,e
fourteenth to ,he eighteenth. including
Che perfods when these expressions OF
the genius Of the Near Easeappeared in
their. highest perfection The exhibition
serves al the same Tim. to reveal what il
not fully understood the remarkable
richness Of IN. private collections Of this
yonntrv in these works Of tho patient
Crfentals in the days when their art and
their .artisanshrp were N their hest
fhsre we're % have bs-n fiftv Of the
rpgs. nm az the las: minute and too late
Ia n. ~ IL he
catalogue word came from the Kaiser
1'.ifdricti Mrseuu, AZ Berlin that permits
sion could not he obtained 70 lend n rug
witch thar mllscmm had promised 20 send.
it, famous fourteenth century rug with
the Ming coat IT arms the ancient
ChInese motive 10 the dragon fighting the
phTnIX. Other rugs Of this class. however.
ara in the exhibition And though the
Baylin museum was unable 10 get per
Inission 10 lend it, treasure which is one
of the oldest rugs known to exist anot her
sister institute has contributed TO the
Ns1ropoiitsn's exhibition. The Boston
Museum of Fine Arts has sent To New York
the finest rug in its possession.
Aside from this one the rugs loaned are
aliyrpm private collections. those. namely.
of r.. Denmsn W. Ross 81 Cambridge.
Gesff braytou ives. Ben jarnin Altman and
Senator W. A. Clark 81 this city: Mrs
Herbert l.. Pratt. Of Brooklyn. John ID. !
Mcllhenny Of Philadelphia. p A B
whi2aes Of ElAins Park. p NJ Sharples
ofWSsk Chester, Pa; Theodore NJ Davis
Of. N9tpors and G r. Williams OF Norris
town. Pa. The METROPOLITAN Museum
displays n few rugs which il owns a. a
part Of this exhibition, but they are placed
in m adjoining gallery So tharsr hose lent
rpay bav~ the Whistler room To themselves
The result il plenty ~ room for a salts
factory placing without crowding
N singular beauty pervades the room
IL " carried but not confused notwiih-
st andtng the great diversity in pattern
: amt eolor and the intermingling Of
Al N3Acns fragments a few feet in di-
.snHnyions and carpets more than
twenty six feet long. Most Of them nece--
rsa&fx Aartx- on tha-Yails- or ON easels
erecte ed for them where they can h. well
eeeH. hut by the use of enlarged model
st snd- or -I,ters thrones the gorgeous
r"nsh rugs, a. We have been accustomed
20 call them this nomenclature il 20 he
tffan s@i now. are shown practically
a. they would appear on the floor, raised
:. AVA few inches above it
lad Nhaf a sighr they are. Ike a Jesse
I'D pavement % gems sisianInR IN
changing hues ~ he visitor changes his
position. hut retaining always ono domi-
lrant Time. Joyous a. full blossoming
garSien IN midday brillianCe bright a. a
tahfe Of Jewels these products ~ what
snu-f have been happy day M rhe
sItirits. Eight Of 'hsse rugs are shown
and one Of them l. Of size rarely seen
heLDg more Than thirt cen feet long and
nearly six feet wide II - one II the
largeS- Polish rugs IN existence One OF
the Polish rugs Is woven without the
ltsslal gold or silver threads hut light
yellow and silver gray gG,eSt the precious
me, als, as the catalogue -avs tr,iy.
\, Sombre az compared 10 these are the
other rIGe. yet they present a wonderful
variety of color Merely tn enumera-. som.
OF the hueS 'e!ls a story Of the weayers'
comprehensive vision for here ar. vel
low, blue. light blue and dark blue and I
hlne green. red. cherry red deep rose and
searies and pink. salmon pink. fawn and .
me.ise gray, p.acnck blue. green silver
white. cream. orange emerald violet ,
Violet brown and claret color Thas.
WESTERN AsiatIcs knew a. we'll a. tho
sehterners Of their continent. IN. Chinese
h6w TO combine rad and blue into baa,,tx g
d thing many western Europeans and ,
americans, including some artists fear ,
10 do to-day. And the greater variety n, .
NE efetnents OF heir design human faces .
nsisa" ng'ire. hunters. elephants. tigers. !,
hons. leopards gIraHe- goats. boar, }
deer. Chinese ducks. rho rhinoceros =
crocodile. bullock. besides imaginary :
animals. birds. parrridg-s bushes. tr.e- '
the peony and other nower-; archaic
dragons, conventionaliz~d leaf forms i
honqpets. geom"tric designs escutcheons r
arshe~1nes. foliations: koranic inscrip
gions made decorative; the lily and Chinese
sfmnoia telling ~ Influences when tho
Trade relations between the Near and m. r
far East were intimate. m earlier times :
Dragon rlrgs hunting rugs animal rugs y
apd compartment rugs ali present yorf r
rrsnship "a Interesting 10 study as IL Is y
good 70 look unon A fragment OF 7
geaniiul lndian rug from the imperial !
factory. its date piaced al about isso :
GrDn Alr Altman's collection. with n rich r
krs1und of dark cLlret color. ~ made with .
Wftpots 10 the square inch. q wonderfully !
f9le texture. Imagine a rig such as one y
QtlHe in~eenth century ArInenianz shown.
Which exhibits a blue green stepped Ioz. l