Tucked away in a back aisle of the massive exhibition of Oriental Rugs from Pacific Collections at the Fort Mason Center during last November's I.C.O.C. were 25 Tibetan rugs. Fourteen were selected from the collection of Thomas A. and Gwen Rutherford.
Because Tibet was a closed country for so long and did not export many rugs, it is only in the past few years that we have recognized an old weaving tradition and the many uses Tibetans found for rugs. Many, but not all, were represented in this exhibition.
| Collection of Thomas A. and Gwen Rutherford |
The rectangular piece with the conventional quadrants of a door carpet is plausibly alleged to have been used as a window rug. In it, two amusingly fierce snow lions with multicolored beards and cloudband figured locks uphold together a bowl of wish-fulfilling jewels. At their feet are flaming jewels. The orange ground suggests monastic use. Because the colors are so vibrant, it seems unlikely that this rug was exposed to light very often; it may have been used only on special occasions. I have seen only one other example of a Tibetan rug alleged to have been used for a window cover, a much smaller piece showing several red Tibetan "cross" figures on a natural off-white ground.
The example of the flayed tiger skin is not often seen on a dark blue-green ground. The contrast with the orange pelt is striking. The fact that the dyes are much more strident on the reverse side of the rug (I confess to having touched it!) suggests to me a 20th century date. It is speculated that this type of rug was used for quasi-religious ceremonial purposes.
Several interesting sitting rugs were exhibited including a blue fringed, tiger-striped example from the collection of Tony Anninos. The single, central gul-like medallion is seen in many Tibetan rugs, more often three, and may hark back to design influences from Central Asia. A much more refined example of a sitting mat from the collection of Julie Shepardson is a close copy of a Chinese silk design. It is arguable, but the use of cotton in the foundation and the evident quality control of this lovely rug suggest to me a 20th century date.
The two small "pillar" rugs seemed to be of a type that were sewn together as a tube, stuffed with straw, and hung from the doorway of a monastery. To the best of my understanding, these small rugs did not surround pillars in the same way larger rugs, some of them imported from China, did.
The playful, young tigers in bamboo was perhaps the most attractive of the exhibited pieces. With fish in each clawed foot, their eyes pop and tongues curl, perhaps in anticipation of the feast to come. A Buddhist wheel of law separates the tigers. Again, the orange ground denotes monastic use. The rug was probably draped over a horse so that the tigers would show on either side. I believe this may come from the same weaver or workshop that produced the rug from the Ivory Friedus collection in the 1984 Textile Museum show.
Other types of Tibetan rugs shown included a finely drawn bed backrest, a sleeping rug, and three saddles. The two saddles from the collection of Melinda Tevis are in the traditional notched shape with holes for cinch straps. The third saddle takes a "butterfly" shape which is said to have been introduced into Tibet in 1904-1905 with the Younghusband expedition. I find this unlikely, since Tibetans must have seen British military saddles earlier.
Perhaps the liveliest rug in the exhibit was the macabre skull trapping. Sixteen grimacing skulls are surrounded by an inner border of single dorjees and a wider, outer border of red flames (of Hell?). With furrowed brows and distracted eyes pointed in varied directions, they seem to be contemplating eternity with some concern.
The I.C.O.C. committee should be congratulated for including these marvelous rugs in its exhibition of Oriental Rugs from Pacific Collections. Nineteen of them appear in color in the exhibition catalog.
