Evening star., 1925-06-04
THE NORTH WINDOW
By Leila MechIin.

The Orient comes to Washington.
With the Thermometer we'll up in the
COS this might be mistaken as a
reference to climate. In reality, how
ever, 1t concerns two recent visitors
James +. Ballard, a business man OF
st. Louis, Mo-, who is an enthusiastic
collector Of Oriental rugs, and Miss
Elizabeth Keith, an English artist,
who has spent seven years in the
Orient and has made a remarkable
series OF woodblock prints setting
forth its marvellous beauty and charm.
Mr.. Ballard stopped in Washington
only part of day on his way home
from New York where he had gone
to meet and greet upon arrival at that
great port of entry an Oriental rug
which he purchased in India on the
1st day of January. In the pursuit
of this rug he visited all but one of
the principal cities in India, travelling
hundreds of miles and spending many
weeks in the search. He had come
almost to the conclusion that the
quest was hopeless, the treasure un-
obtainable, when a Persians gentleman
called at his hotel and inNted him to
visit his home. This home was To-
Gated some miles from Bombay and
Is described by Mr.. Ballard as dream
palace in a garden which in itself
seemed like the ideal Of Paradise.
After being shown many treasures by
his host the rug that he had pursued
so eagerly was brought out--the quest
was successful The following day he
consummated the purchase; the rug
is now in New York.
What. some would say, could induce
one to spend. so much time. zeal and
energy, to say nothing OF money, on
an Oriental rug? The answer is, It's
intrinsic beauty, that beauty which is
derived through art. Such rugs as
Mr.. Ballard buys are more than well
designed, and were woven by the most
skillful craftsmen; they are exquisite.
ly beautiful. For one little rug
weighing approximately three pounds
and three quarters Mr.. Ballard paid,
and gladly, SIS, 5,000-more than 81 900
pound for the wool. If one should
ask, why bother about art?" here is
an answer: 1t was the art of the
weaver, the designer. the artist, that
gave this wool made into a rug it's
extraordinary value.
In Nav. 1922, the Metropolitan Mu-
scum OF Art received from James F.
Ballard a munificent gift of 125 an
cient Oriental carpets, comprising the
choicest examples in the large collec-
ton which in the course of nearly 20
years of travel and of diligent study
he had assembled in his private gal
lery in st. Louis. Subsequent gifts
increased the number Of rugs in this
princely benefaction to 129," to quote
the director of the Metropolitan Mu-
scum. This gift, added to rugs pre-
viously acquired. made this collection
of the Metropolitan Museum one of
the finest in the world.
X X
Since giving this marvellous collec
tion to the Metropolitan Museum Mr.
Ballard has brought together a second
collection Of more than a hundred
specimens, equally rare and beautiful.
This collection he has lent from time
to time to various art museums in
different parts of the country. His
enthusiasm for rug collecting began
when, 20 years ago, he chanced to see
a rug display in a shop window in
New York. A collection was being
sold at auction; he went in and bought
not one but many. He was not con-
tent, however, merely with owner
ship. From that day on he made
Oriental rugs an intensive study. He
not only knows them as an expert
connoisseur, and when he talks about
them his enthusiasm is found con-
tagious. He has learned to under
stand the symbols of the weavers; he
has learned-and this is more unusual
to fully appreciate the harmonies
of their color schemes. To him each
rug represents the soul of the weaver
each rug is human document with a
message as potent and at the same
time as subtle as a great poem. In
the foreword to the catalogue of his
present collection he says: THE in
spiration of the weavers who con-
ceived the glorious designs and peer
less colors of these matchless rugs
has left a great tribute to the world
There is a ravishing loveliness which
comes over them every time / see
them, and ii seems to me sometimes
that the spirits of these departed
weavers are lowering over me when
am looking at them, striving to di-
rect my attention to their ever-chang-
ing hues, and entreating me to com
prehend and appreciate their ex-
quisite beauty"
1t would be hard to estimate the
amount of pleasure that Mr. Ballard
has found in collecting these rare
works of art. Within the last year
the pursuit has taken him twice
around the world. But what can
match the joy of discovery? Who can
tell the pleasure that each new pos
session with its ravishing loveliness
has brought him? Asked If it was his
intention to show his rugs in this
city, Mr.. Ballard replied that he only
showed them where they were invited.
x
Special interest attaches to the
nY-ianfoI trIo -
our American carpet makers are re-
producing Oriental patterns, and ORR
entail rugs of recent date are being
brought here in great quantities and
put on our American market Even
the actual technique of the Oriental
knot has been initiated in machine
made floor coverings with pile made
up OF innumerable threads pressed
closely together and standing on end.
With the Orientalrugs, however, even
of the simplest order. each is an in
dfVldual work, a work of art. The
difficulty today of duplicating the
priceless treasures of the past Is that
OF obtaining, Mr.. Ballard says, the
dyes used by the great weavers; alas,
those secrets seem to have perished
with them, and also passing is the
spirit OF the craftsman who was will
ing to give lifetime to the produc-
tion of a superlatively beautiful work
of art, an article Of utility.
n X Il
Miss Keith came to Washington
with an introduction from Miss Edith
Emerson of Philadelphia, the we'll
known American mural painter and
designer. She had already exhibited
some of her interesting woodcuts by
special invitation with the print max.
ers of California. Within the last