The John J. Collins, Jr. Gallery
hung with the Shiraz exhibition 

From Oriental Rug Review, Vol. 8/1, October/November, 1987 

The 80-page catalogue of the June exhibition and sale of John J. Collins, Jr., Shiraz, South Persian Tribal Rugs and Saddle Bags provides a useful, well-designed, and permanent addition to the library of anyone interested in this very distinctive genre of tribal rug. The format (8 1/2 by 11 inches) insures that the illustrations are large enough to be practical, but that the catalogue can sit on a shelf beside other standard publications. Although it has a soft cover, the pages are of heavy, coated paper and the binding is sewn for durability. All 56 pieces are illustrated in very acceptable colour, with the identification, estimated age, and technical details printed on the facing page: the rugs are arranged one to a page, whereas two bags, one above the other, share a page. This straightforward arrangement allows the generously sized illustrations to speak for themselves; this is necessary because there is no descriptive text beyond the one-page introduction. For those more interested in the sale aspect of this catalogue, there is an accompanying eight-page Price List and Condition Report available, which can be conveniently inserted at the back of the catalogue.

In the selection of rugs and bags for this exhibition and sale, Mr. Collins has continued the more or less systematic aspect of a projected, long-term instructive program begun with his 1986 calendar, The South Persian Collection . In his own words from the Introduction of the present catalogue, he has chosen "to cluster related examples so that the structure and aesthetic unity may be appreciated." While this approach may deflect some general collectors, it is of great value to those who are trying to develop a sound, accurate knowledge of this type of rug. Of the six Luri rugs that open the catalogue, five illustrate compositions with various combinations and repeats of animal-headed, hooked, or stepped diamond medallions. The permutations of the diamond layouts of this spectacular group are discussed briefly in the Introduction and are elucidated by four clear, outline diagrams. The star of this group is the Luri rug illustrated on the cover, dated to ca. 1870-1890. The exception, a less definitely attributed Luri/Bakhtiari rug (no. 4) shows an interesting hexagonal lattice and tree pattern with extra borders at each end that contain the "pseudo-kufic" blocks which appear on the celebrated Bahktiari gelim illustrated in Opie's Tribal Rugs of Southern Persia (p. 145).

As in the 1986 calendar, The South Persian Collection, referred to above, Afshar rugs predominate. The late l9th century piece (no. 8) is this reviewer's favorite. Two intensely white hooked, diamond medallions float one above the other, on a larger, indigo blue, hexagonal shaped panel which, in turn, nestles amidst serried ranks of tiny, square, golden blossoms on a warm red ground, and the whole composition combines with a border of equally intense whiteness to create an extraordinarily dynamic balance. With this comment, it must be clear, your reviewer has passed from the consideration of potential floor coverings to the rapt contemplation of an exceptional work of textile art!

Five of the Afshars (nos. 9-13) form a thought provoking cluster which, in spite of their widely differing, floral repeat field patterns, are related, as Mr. Collins notes in his Introduction, by their coloring, their structure, and remarkably similar border systems. One of them (no. 9) compares favorably with a very similar rug published by Herrmann in 1983 Seltene Orientteppiche V, Munchen, 1983, no. 73, p. 153).

The six Basiri, Khamseh, bags (nos. 48-53) dating from various stages of the second half of the l9th century, apparently comprise the largest group of these popular, octafoil medallioned weavings so far brought together in one publication. The details of their collective physical structures should provide a helpful contribution to future attempts at sorting out the different textiles of the Khamseh Confederacy.

In a recent review of a Nicky Eltz rug calendar, John Taylor stated "and best of all, no commentaries. A silent rug book, as it were" (ORR VII, no. 1, p. 19). With his present catalogue, Mr. Collins seems to be trying to take this declaration to heart. Whatever the relevance to this attitude toward the Eltz calendar, it does not apply to John Collins' commentaries. These definitely do not belong to the school of writing that verbally parrots what can already be adequately seen in the illustrations that all too frequently passes for commentaries. He has earlier produced the kind of accompanying text that fills in relevant background, or brings new insight to the reader's perception of the rug in question. Also sorely missed are Mr. Collins' aesthetic judgments of his rugs, which are always reasoned and stimulating, even on the odd occasion when one does not agree with them.

Take for example the Afshar bag front (no. 25), a chuval-sized piece given a date of ca. 1870-1890. That this bag was also published, with commentary, in the calendar for 1986, The South Persian Collection (Afshar-7), is a measure of Mr. Collins' own admiration of the piece. Even though this reviewer's first reaction was that the weaver was a clumsy, inept designer, after reading the commentary on this bag front from last year, he at once began to see the error of his ways. "The field is a lesson in composition which was sadly forgotten by the next generation of weavers.... The arrangement, however, is not mechanical.... Thus the stiffness that plagued later pieces was avoided.... The illusion of individual devices floating in space places the aesthetics of this piece firmly in the antique design tradition." By the time he had read the whole text, he found himself reconsidering this work in a frame of mind tinged with awe and respect, and deep regret that he could not on the spot purchase the piece. The 1986 commentary had certainly conveyed new insight to the perception of this rug!

Or consider the enigmatic, asymmetrically patterned Afshar bag front (no. 22). This is a further example of a work in this catalogue which, though beautiful and complete in itself when viewed as an apparently individualistic and original piece of abstract art, cries out for some commentary. The viewer's understanding of this piece, whether as potential buyer or as student of the subject, is surely enriched if he is aware that it belongs within an established group of Afshar bags. The other published example (Opie, Tribal Rugs of Southern Persia, 1981, p. 181) shares a similar border and colour scheme and, within the differing proportions of the bags, which vary by some 2 inches, exhibits a virtually identical field pattern. As a dealer, Mr. Collins shows great restraint by not citing for comparison the former Opie piece (the pattern figures of which are tentatively identified with the ancient Chinese motif of the combat of the phoenix and dragon), since it is a fairly widespread assumption that rugs which can be related to a published example (especially one which is published in colour or has an exotic pattern content or provenance) sell more readily than their anonymous fellows. As an enthusiast and student of South Persian rugs, who has gone to considerable effort and expense "to expand the amount of material available to collectors concerning these popular, but under documented products" (Collins, The South Persian Collection, 1986, introduction), he has declined the opportunity to place these details on record. In remaining faithful to the guiding philosophy of his catalogue, he has, as it were, chosen to provide future students with the raw materials for reinventing the wheel. The Afshar bag of ca. 1920 (no. 26) provides a third instance where some commentary might have been useful, features four very spirited horsemen on red horses, who appear to be brandishing sabres, charging inward through a bird infested floral field of white. Some comment on the nature of this scene or its relation to other similar scenes would enhance the viewer's ability to relate to this small weaving. The information that an almost identical scene exists on each of the pile faces of a complete double bag donated to The Textile Museum in 1977 (Oriental Rug Collections of Jerome and Mary Straka, N.Y., 1978, no. 96, p. 98) estimated to date around 1900 would establish that this is an established pattern, possibly referring to a known event or activity. The coloring both of the field figures and the border, and the size of the pile panels of the Straka double bag are very close to the present bag. The question rises whether it might also have been originally one of a pair. Relating the two for future study might eventually provide a greater understanding of each.

Nevertheless, commentaries or not, Mr. Collins has, with the illustrations and technical details of this handsome catalogue, contributed substantially to the limited stock of raw materials essential for the furthering of knowledge and understanding of South Persian tribal rugs. The $30 price tag (while it is still available, of course, and before it reaches the hands of the antiquarian book dealers) seems a modest price for a specialized publication of this quality.